Police identify man who died in plane crash near Cape Blanco

PORT ORFORD, Ore. – Emergency personnel responded to a plane crash Friday afternoon near the mouth of the Elk River and found a man deceased near the wreckage.

Saturday, Oregon State Police identified the man as 80-year-old Raymond J. Wulfenstein, of Pahrump, Nev. His family said he also resided in Lakeside, Ore.

Police say at about 11:50 a.m. Friday, Wulfenstein radioed FAA air controllers and said he was losing sight in one of his eyes and needed to land his plane.

FAA did not hear from him after that.

A US Coast Guard helicopter crew overheard the distress call and headed to the area to search for the aircraft south of the Cape Blanco State Park.

The FAA asked for assistance checking the Cape Blanco State Airport to see if the aircraft landed there. The Sixes River Fire Department confirmed the plane was not there.

Around 1 p.m., the Coast Guard helicopter located the crashed airplane on the beach.

The crew landed the helicopter and found Wulfenstein deceased near the crash site.

Police say they do not know if Wulfenstein was attempting a beach landing, but the 1980 Piper Dakota he was flying collided violently with the sand.

The crash totaled the plane. It was later removed and taken offsite for NTSB investigators.