Search concludes report of possible downed aircraft unfounded
San Juan County Sheriff's Office, Lopez Island Fire and EMS have finished their search and the results indicate no evidence of a downed aircraft incident.
At 5:39 AM March 28, 2023, San Juan County Sheriff's Office Emergency Communications Center received one, unconfirmed report of the following information: " Saw green light go down at the boat ramp, looking out across McKaye Harbor".
Out of an abundance of caution, first responders were dispatched to the scene as a possible downed aircraft investigation.
Contacted NAS Whidbey Island - had no info. Checked with NTSB radar station for our area- nothing showed on radar during that time.
Two drone deployed for 2 hours of total flight time. Unable to locate any sightings/evidence of a downed aircraft.
Grid searched the wooded areas south of the airport- west to the water, along Limes Rd, Shark Reef Rd, and easts to Richardson Rd.
There were no further reports of a downed aircraft throughout the entirety of the search.
Sheriff Eric Peter thanked all of our first responders who responded so quickly to assist today, and we are grateful that this did not end up as a tragic incident.