OCEAN SHORES, WA. - At 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, the Ocean Shores Fire Department was dispatched to an airplane crash in the area near the Ocean Shores Municipal Airport. 

A single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft was found by arriving crews in a marshy area between the airport and North Bay, approximately 100 yards from the pavement. The location of the crash site was not accessible by emergency vehicles due to the terrain. Responding crews reached the site by foot. 

There was no fire, but the situation was dynamic due to running fuel.

The aircraft had two entrapped occupants. OSFD crews made contact with the occupants and began delivering medical care to the higher priority patient inside the aircraft. That patient was then extricated from the aircraft and on to the ground where additional care was given. The patient was then placed in a stokes basket and carried by crews to the airport. The patient was transferred to a Lifeflight helicopter for transport to the hospital.

The second occupant was entrapped by the wing of the aircraft, requiring fire crews to perform a complicated rescue, including cutting the wing strut in several places. The patient was removed from the aircraft approximately one hour after crews first arrived on scene. The patient was also carried by basket to the airport and transferred to an OSFD medic unit for transport to the hospital. 

OSFD Assistant Chief Mike Mandella acted as incident command. 

"In 47 years, both as a first responder and a chief, this was one of the most impressive calls I’ve ever been on. The smooth teamwork of our crews, including Mayor Frank Elduen and City Administrator Scott Anderson, was integral to the success of the mission. And that also extends to the police department and other agencies who responded. They gave all they had to make the rescue successful and give the best possible care to the patients,” Mandella said.

“For me as a chief officer, the total job satisfaction that I got was watching my crews at work. They were flawless."

This incident will be under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

We would like to thank the Ocean Shores Police Department, Grays Harbor Communications, Grays Harbor County Emergency Management, Grays Harbor Fire District 7, and the Hoquiam Fire Department for their assistance.