What happened
On a private flight departing from Astoria Airport at 16:37 local time, a single-engine aircraft was en route to Seattle-Boeing Field. The flight was operated with two people on board, consisting of the pilot and one passenger. While the aircraft was performing its initial climb toward the cruising altitude, the engine experienced a near-total loss of power.
In response to the engine failure, the pilot performed an emergency maneuver to ditch the plane into the Columbia River, located just off the coast of Astoria. Approximately eight minutes after the loss of power, the aircraft made contact with the water in a nose-down attitude. The impact left the plane partially submerged in the river.
Findings
Following the crash landing, emergency responders were able to quickly locate and rescue both the pilot and the passenger. Despite the impact, there were zero fatalities and zero injuries reported among the occupants. While the individuals were unharmed, the engine power loss resulted in the aircraft being damaged beyond repair.