Search Suspended for Missing Pilot Off Oregon Coast - Newport

Published 09/22/2026 at 12:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Newport, Oregon) - Just before 11 p.m., the US Coast Guard confirmed it had halted the search for a pilot whose plane crashed into the ocean just off the Oregon coast. (Above: the search grid performed by the USCG)

“The Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing pilot after a Beechcraft B95 aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Monday,” the US CG said

The aircraft was carrying a 78-year-old male pilot who has not been found.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the initial report at 12:54 p.m. and launched multiple search and rescue crews. Two 47-foot motor lifeboats from Station Yaquina Bay responded along with MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews from Air Facility Newport and Air Station North Bend (on the south Oregon coast). Local emergency agencies and good Samaritan vessels also joined the effort.

Crews searched for nearly 12 hours, covering 124 square miles.

Several people reported seeing the crash. Officials said the aircraft entered the water at a high rate of speed and sank immediately, with no one observed exiting the plane.

USCG photo from the search earlier this evening

“Suspending a search is an incredibly difficult decision, and it is one we never make lightly,” said Lt. Nick Torres, Search and Rescue Mission Commander for Sector Columbia River. “Our hearts go out to the pilot’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed it is investigating the cause of the crash. The release of the pilot's identity will come from either or both the NTSB and the Newport Police Department.

See earlier report: Plane Crash Off Oregon Coast: Coast Guard Searches for Pilot Near Newport

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Below: USCG file photo

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