Accident Sequence
On the day of the accident, a rented airplane carrying a private pilot and one passenger, who was also a private pilot but not current, arrived at a small breakfast fly-in at about 1000. The airport was a small, uncontrolled field on the Oregon coast without automatic weather observation equipment. Around 1400, witnesses reported seeing a low-flying airplane matching the description of the accident aircraft maneuvering along the coastline, flying very low and making steep turns. No witness reported seeing the actual accident. The first identified pieces of aircraft debris washed ashore at about 1500. The pilot's body washed ashore 4 days later, and the passenger's body washed ashore 6 days later. The airplane wreckage has not been located.
Weather Conditions
Weather reported at an airport 23 miles south of the accident area from 1200 to 1500 consisted of ceilings initially around 400 to 500 feet overcast, improving to 500 feet scattered, and 4,100 feet broken by 1550. Visibility was between 7 and 10 miles, with no precipitation. Numerous AIRMETs were issued for IFR conditions between 0745 and 1423 for the area where the accident aircraft was operating. A study performed by a Safety Board Meteorological Specialist concluded that the probable weather conditions at the time and location of the accident were a ceiling of 500 feet with multiple cloud layers above, cloud tops near 4,000 feet, flight visibility of zero miles in the clouds and close to 3 miles below the lowest cloud base in mist.
Pilot Information
The pilot and the passenger, who was also a private pilot but not current, did not hold instrument ratings.