The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a twin-engine airplane that went down off the coast of Oregon on Monday. According to authorities, the pilot, a 78-year-old man, was the only person on board the aircraft and has not been found.
A hangar camera captured the 1960 Beechcraft 95 Travel Air (N529RB) departing Newport Municipal Airport (KONP) around 12:33 p.m. PDT. The airport is located on the central coast of Oregon near Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.
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Authorities said flight tracking data shows the aircraft circling over the water approximately a half-mile offshore for a few minutes near Yaquina Head before it disappeared from radar.
A local fisherman who witnessed the crash told a local television station he noticed the aircraft flying very low, perhaps 20 feet above the surface, at a high rate of speed, then it plunged into the water and quickly sank. The fisherman headed to the area of impact but could not find the pilot.
The Coast Guard was notified and spent 12 hours searching the area by boat and helicopter, covering 124 square miles. It was joined by first responders and good Samaritans, but no trace of the pilot or aircraft were found.
The aircraft is registered to Ralph Busby III of Newport, Oregon.
According to an FAA preliminary post, the aircraft was destroyed and the accident presumed fatal.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
