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Broadway Star's Pregnant Sister, Brother-in-Law Killed in Floatplane Crash

megan hilty
Megan Hilty (Getty Images)

By    |   Tuesday, 06 September 2022 04:28 PM EDT

Broadway star and TV actress Megan Hilty's pregnant sister, brother-in-law, and the couple's young child were among the 10 people presumptively killed when a floatplane crashed in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard released the victims' names.

According to the New York Post, one of the deceased was recovered a short time after the floatplane — a 55-year-old de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter — splashed down in Mutiny Bay, just outside Seattle. 

The other nine passengers are still missing, but presumed dead, according to the Coast Guard.

Among the deceased: Pilot Jason Winters, winery owner Ross Andrew Mickel (Hilty's brother-in-law), his pregnant wife, Lauren Hilty, and their child, Remy Mickel.

Also killed was Sandy Williams, a lecturer, filmmaker, founder of the Carl Maxey Center and editor of The Black Lens, an African American-focused newspaper.

The other passengers killed: Joanne Mera, Patricia Hicks, Luke Ludwig, Rebecca Ludwig, and Gabrielle Hanna.

"Sandy was a voice for the voiceless, a tireless advocate for marginalized people in Spokane, a journalist unafraid to speak truth to power, a builder of hope in her vision for the Carl Maxey Center, and a beloved friend to countless members of our community," the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force said on Facebook.

TMZ reported that Andrew Mickel was the founder of Woodinville-based Ross Andrew Winery.

"We are deeply saddened and beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved Ross Mickel, Lauren Hilty, Remy, and their unborn baby boy, Luca," the Mickel and Hilty families said in a statement. "Our collective grief is unimaginable. They were a bright and shining light in the lives of everyone who knew them."

The plane reportedly went down in Mutiny Bay off Whidbey Island, roughly 30 miles northwest of downtown Seattle.

Officials received reports that "the aircraft dropped suddenly at a fair amount of speed and hit the water," said  Scott Giard, director of the US Coast Guard's search and rescue for the Pacific Northwest. 

"We don't have any video or pictures of the incident, as of this moment," Giard added.

Giard also reported there was no distress call or distress beacon from the crashing plane. 

The aircraft has an electronic locating transmitter onboard, but Giard said officials never received any transmission.

"That is very typical in times where there is either a hard landing or a crash of an aircraft," said Giard.

On Monday, the Coast Guard ended the search for survivors after "saturating an area" of more than 2,100 square nautical miles.

"All next-of-kin have been notified of this decision," the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter. "Our hearts go out to the families, loved ones and friends of those who remain missing and the deceased."

The National Transportation Safety Board revealed Monday it's sending seven investigators to analyze the crash of the DHC-3 Turbine Otter.

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Broadway star and TV actress Megan Hilty's pregnant sister, brother-in-law, and the couple's young child were among the 10 people presumptively killed when a floatplane crashed in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.
hilty, broadway, coast guard, seattle, crash
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2022-28-06
Tuesday, 06 September 2022 04:28 PM
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