Coast Guard suspends search for pilot after Oregon plane crash

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a 78-year-old pilot following a plane crash off the Oregon coast near the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The aircraft, a 1960 Beechcraft 95 Travel Air, departed Newport Municipal Airport around 12:33 p.m. PDT on Monday before reportedly circling offshore and plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

A witness reported seeing the aircraft enter the water at a high rate of speed. Despite a 12-hour search operation covering 124 square miles involving motor lifeboats, helicopters, and local emergency responders, no trace of the pilot or the aircraft was found. The Federal Aviation Administration has declared the accident fatal and the aircraft destroyed.

The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the crash.