Account
Jan 28, 2026
Jan 28, 2026
Lee
Gordon Elliott
70
70
6'0 inches
220 lbs
White
Male
On May 27, 2018, 70-year-old Male Lee Gordon Elliott was last seen in Bainbridge Island, Washington, before a tragic event unfolded. He and his girlfriend were enjoying a flight in his 1974 Cessna 150, a two-seater single-engine aircraft. The day took a turn when the plane crashed into the waters of Eagle Harbor at approximately 5:13 p.m., sinking rapidly after impact. Eyewitnesses on boats in the harbor rushed to the scene of the crash to offer assistance. The immediate aftermath of the crash saw a dramatic rescue. Boaters who arrived at the crash site found Elliott's girlfriend, Joan Burns, in the water and were able to pull her to safety. She was critically injured and bleeding and was subsequently airlifted to a hospital for medical treatment, which she survived. However, Elliott was nowhere to be found. An extensive search was launched in an effort to locate him, but there was no sign of him in the waters of Eagle Harbor. The initial search efforts were focused on the immediate area of the crash, with hopes of a swift recovery. According to his girlfriend's account to authorities, the flight had been without mechanical issues. She recounted that they had descended to a low altitude to get a closer look at some seals near the shoreline. Burns had expressed her concern to Elliott that they were flying too low and close to the water, but he reassured her that everything was fine. He then reportedly looked down at the iPad he was using for navigation and pushed the flight control yoke forward, causing the plane to enter the water and flip over. Burns stated that she lost consciousness and when she came to, she saw Elliott slumped over in his restraints, seemingly unconscious, before she managed to escape the submerged aircraft. In June, a dive team located the wreckage of the plane on the seafloor in 180 feet of water. Tragically, when they returned at a later time to recover the wreckage, it was no longer there and has not been seen since. Lee Gordon Elliott's body has never been recovered, and he is presumed to have died in the crash.
May 27, 2018
Bainbridge Island
Washington
Bainbridge Island
Washington State Patrol Missing Persons Uni
800-543-5678
06/13/2026
