Photo: Southwest Oregon Regional Airport
A private jet carrying five people skidded off the runway at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend and crashed into Coos Bay early Monday morning (April 7). The incident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. when the plane overshot Runway 23 and ended up approximately 100 feet from the shore.
All four passengers and one crew member were rescued and transported to a local hospital, though their conditions remain unknown. Emergency response teams, including the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter Team, Coos Bay and North Bend Fire Departments, North Bend Police Department, and the Coos County Sheriff’s Office, were on the scene to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts.
The airport was closed to all air traffic as authorities worked to clean up hazardous materials and remove the plane's fuselage. Officials at the airport said that the plane was removed from the water and commercial air service was restored just before 10:30 a.m.
The plane had departed from St. George Regional Airport earlier in the morning.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.