A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter searches the ocean just west of downtown Newport for a twin-engine plane that crashed into the water about 12:45 p.m. Monday.
Shayla Escudero / Lincoln Chronicle
A longtime flying enthusiast and former city council member is missing after his twin-engine plane crashed into the ocean about a mile off the coast of Newport early Monday afternoon.
Ralph Busby, 78, took off from the Newport Municipal Airport at 12:33 p.m. Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard said it received the initial report of a plane going into the water at 12:54 and deployed two motor lifeboats from Yaquina Bay and its Newport-based rescue helicopter.
The Coast Guard said the plane — a 1960 Beech B95 Travel Air — reportedly hit the water “at a high rate of speed” and that no one was seen getting out of it. One motor lifeboat and the helicopter searched until sunset, covering 124 square miles before the Coast Guard called off the effort.
“Suspending a search is an incredibly difficult decision, and it is one we never make lightly,” said Lt. Nick Torres, search and rescue mission commander for the Coast Guard’s Columbia River area. “Our hearts go out to the pilot’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said late Monday it is investigating the crash.
Busby is believed to have been the only one on board the plane, which can seat up to five people.
A native of Washington state, Busby and his wife, Sharon, retired to Newport from Ocean City, N.J., where they had raised their family, where he worked as a contractor and where he served on its city council. He was elected to the Newport City Council in 2012 and served one four-year term.
Busby also served on the city’s budget committee, its 2040 advisory committee, and on the Newport airport advisory committee from 2019-2024.
Former Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer, who was also a pilot, said Monday night that Busby was a fierce advocate for Newport and its airport and “served the community well on the city council.”
“The airplane community in Newport is tight knit and Ralph was well respected by all,” Sawyer told the Lincoln Chronicle. “He was always down at his hangar working on his plane and chatting with other pilots. He had an infectious smile that will be missed. My condolences to his wife, Sharon, and his entire family. Fly high, Ralph.”
Lincoln Chronicle editor Quinton Smith contributed to this report.
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