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Search for missing pilot suspended following small plane crash off Newport coast
KPTV • • nation
Key Points:
- A 78-year-old pilot remains missing after a Beechcraft B95 crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Newport, Oregon, shortly before 12:45 p.m. Monday.
- Eyewitness Yoshio Abe reported the plane was flying unusually low and made a strange flight pattern before hitting the water and sinking within minutes.
- The U.S. Coast Guard deployed helicopters and boats for search-and-rescue operations, covering approximately 124 square miles before suspending the search around 11 p.m. due to darkness and poor visibility.
- The pilot was the sole occupant of the twin-engine plane, and his identity has not been publicly released; the FAA will investigate the crash.
- Concerned onlookers gathered at Nye Beach as emergency crews responded, expressing hope for closure for the pilot’s family.
