Five individuals are recovering after a small private aircraft ran off the runway at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH) early Monday morning and subsequently entered the nearby bay.
The incident occurred around 6:00 a.m. when a Cessna HA-420, manufactured in 2019, encountered difficulties while attempting to land on Runway 23, which is situated near the Pacific Ocean. The aircraft skidded approximately 100 feet beyond the runway’s east end and into the water.
A swift response was initiated following the incident. Multiple agencies collaborated in a coordinated rescue effort:
- OTH Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting crews
- Coos Bay and North Bend fire departments
- North Bend Police Department
- Coos County Sheriff’s Office
All five occupants – the pilot and four passengers – were successfully rescued from the submerged aircraft and transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Their current conditions remain undisclosed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been notified, and a salvage company has received authorization to retrieve the plane from the water. The aircraft is currently being secured on airport property near the site of the incident as an investigation into the cause of the event progresses.
As stated in a post on their Facebook page, This is a developing incident. Information will be released as it becomes available.
The disruption to commercial air service was temporary; operations were suspended for United Express flights for nearly two hours before being resumed. SkyWest flight 5509 experienced a delay but is now scheduled to arrive at OTH at 2:14 p.m.
Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, located in North Bend, Oregon, provides year-round commercial air service to San Francisco, California, and offers seasonal flights to Denver, Colorado.
