U.S. Coast Guard Air Station North Bend

02/22/2026

Saving Lives on Land and at Sea 💪

Coast Guard Air Station North Bend assisted the Josephine County Sheriff's Office with the successful rescue of a 26-year-old hiker in Oregon’s Illinois River Valley near Greenwall Rapids.

The hiker was last seen Monday, prompting an extensive search involving air and ground assets. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend conducted multiple searches throughout the week, while the Josephine County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue teams conducted searches on the ground.

On Friday morning, the missing hiker was located by ground crews and hoisted to safety by a MH-65 helicopter from Air Station North Bend. Crews transported him to Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay for evaluation.

This successful rescue reflects the strong partnership and coordinated response between Air Station North Bend, the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, and local responders who assisted throughout the operation. Their dedication and teamwork were instrumental in the successful rescue of the hiker!

10/01/2025

NOTICE: DUE TO THE LAPSE IN FEDERAL FUNDING, INFORMATION ON THIS SOCIAL MEDIA SITE WILL NOT BE ACTIVELY MANAGED.

06/02/2025

A neat capture by Out West Photography of a whale attending the Wreathe Drop during the Fleet of Flowers Event in Depoe Bay. Thank you Depoe Bay for having us, and to Station Depoe for coordinating.

05/24/2025

Incredible work by our crew, and by our Production team in capturing this recent case of a woman trapped in her car in the McKenzie River at night.
"Special People". One life saved.

Darla West, sister of Linn West, was dramatically rescued by a Coast Guard Air Station North Bend aircrew after her car was swept into the frigid waters of t...

03/13/2025

Another daring rescue by our duty crew. The crew launched after a training flight in the night to navigate the Mckenzie River canyon 25 miles outside of Eugene where a vehicle had entered the swift water, resulting in one life saved. Thank you to the ground crews that provided valuable assistance on this case, local fire and sheriff departments and volunteers, helping our crew to navigate safely.

12/11/2024

Our successful 3-day enterprise for one life saved. Full news article in the link, thanks to District for highlighting the efforts of this rescue!

12/10/2024

On November 22, just before Thanksgiving Holidays, Air Station North Bend Duty crew launched in record time to rescue a person in the water who was severely hypothermic and in distress. The crew quickly side-stepped to a parking lot where EMS services were ready to step in.

The duty crew stated;
"Having received notification from Coast Guard Sector Columbia River that a person was in the cold waters of Siuslaw River, we took an “All Hands on Deck” approach at Coast Guard Air Station North Bend to get the helicopter airborne as quickly as possible. We even had our senior-most maintenance officer clearing the helo’s windscreen and windows of water from its recent wash while the flight crew completed their preflight checks. We were airborne immediately after we got the engines running and completed the 40-mile transit averaging 185 mph en route.

Our shipmates from Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River immediately vectored us to the victim, who was located in water too shallow for the boats to get to him; and we observed two ambulances and the Station’s ground party staged on the northern river bank ready to assist. We pulled the survivor from the water as quickly as we could, whom we found to have only had time to don half of his water survival suit before he went in. Knowing that every second mattered to the survival of the extremely hypothermic victim, the helicopter crew performed an additional hoist to deliver him directly to EMS who were ready to provide the necessary lifesaving care.

The rescue was completed in less than an hour from the time of notification to hoisting the survivor out of the water thanks to the superb coordination among all the SAR professionals at Sector, Station, and the first responders on-scene, as well as the helo crew’s high-speed hoisting skills."

Thanks to Mica Ottensman for monitoring dispatch and getting to the scene with his professional photography equipment and capturing the evolution.
Between working with the Fire Department and Mica's first responder dispatch for footage, and Station Siuslaw River response in the 47' Motor Life Boat ready to assist, it was a neat interagency operation with a wonderful ending in time for Thanksgiving.

Mica's full video is uploaded below.

12/05/2024

ALERT: The Tsunami Warning is cancelled for the coastal areas of California and Oregon. No tsunami danger presently exists for the area. Go to tsunami.gov for more information.

12/05/2024

ALERT: A Tsunami Warning is in effect for areas of Oregon & Northern California, go to tsunami.gov for alert areas.

Boat Operators, where time and conditions permit, move your boat out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet.

If at sea, avoid entering shallow water, harbors, marinas, bays, and inlets to avoid floating and submerged debris and strong currents.

DO NOT go to the shore to observe the tsunami.

DO NOT return to the coast until local emergency officials indicate it is safe to do so.

10/28/2024

Pictures taken by Newport Fire crew assisting Air Station North Bend in rescuing a stranded surfer. Thanks Fire team!

10/28/2024

North Bend Formation practice on a beautiful Oregon day.

10/26/2024

Our sister unit Air Station Astoria.