Authorities are trying to determine what caused a private jet to go off the runway and into the water at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (KOTH) in North Bend, Oregon, on Monday.
According to the Coos County Airport District, at 6:12 a.m., the Honda Jet registered to Andy Leavitt Enterprises, LLC flew in from St. George, Utah, and was attempting to land on runway 5/23 when it skidded off the east end of the runway and into the bay approximately 100 feet off the runway. The depth of the water is approximately five feet.
“All four passengers and the pilot were transported by ambulance to Bay Area Hospital. Earlier the hospital released that all five individuals sustained minor injuries and were stable,” the statement continued.
According to timeanddate.com, the sunrise in North Bend on Monday, April 7 was at 6:47 a.m. Rescue personnel were quick to arrive on scene.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the agency that investigates accidents, gave permission for the jet to be removed from the water. A barge-mounted crane that had been in the vicinity doing work on the rail bridge and trestle was called into action.
According to an airport spokesperson: “The quick authorization for its removal from the water assisted with reopening the airport’s main runway to air traffic. The aircraft is currently being stored near the incident site until the NTSB can conduct and complete its evaluation.”
It was noted that general aviation traffic was not impacted by the incident and one runway remained open for the duration of the incident operation.
The airport, which is located in Class D airspace, has two runways: 13/31 measuring 4470 x 150 and 5/23, 5980 x 150. The airport is approximately 17 feet above sea level. It was closed for several hours while authorities handled the aircraft removal.
