The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 78-year-old pilot whose twin-engine plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport on Monday afternoon, according to the Coast Guard. The pilot, who was the only person aboard, remains missing.
Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received the first report of the crash at 12:54 p.m. Monday and sent search crews. Two 47-foot motor lifeboats from Station Yaquina Bay, MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews from Air Facility Newport and Air Station North Bend, local emergency responders and good Samaritan vessels took part. Over 12 hours, crews searched 124 square miles before the search was suspended. The Coast Guard said the plane reportedly hit the water at high speed and sank, and no one was seen leaving the aircraft.
"Our hearts go out to the pilot's family and loved ones during this difficult time," said Lt. Nick Torres, the Coast Guard's search and rescue mission commander for the Columbia River area.
The Aircraft and Pilot
KATU identified the aircraft as a Beechcraft B-95, a small twin-engine plane. OPB reported that the plane was a 1960 Beech B95 Travel Air and that it went down about a mile offshore.
OPB identified the pilot as Ralph Busby, 78, a former Newport city councilor. OPB reported that he took off from Newport Municipal Airport at 12:33 p.m. Monday. Officials have not formally released the pilot's name. Busby was elected to the Newport City Council in 2012 and served one term. According to OPB, he also served on the city's airport advisory committee from 2019 to 2024.
Newport's General Aviation Role
Newport's February 2018 airport master plan said city records listed 28 aircraft based at Newport Municipal Airport. According to the City of Newport airport master plan, the airport's runway serves general aviation aircraft, including private and business operators, as well as U.S. Coast Guard aircraft.
Investigation
The cause of the crash is under investigation. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating, and the National Transportation Safety Board is also looking into the crash. The Coast Guard said questions about the investigation or the pilot's identity should go to the NTSB and the Newport Police Department.
