Lake County Plane Crash Kills Pilot, Dog Aboard Makes It Out Alive

SILVER LAKE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A pilot is dead after a small plane crash in a remote area near Silver Lake on Tuesday morning, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Miraculously, a dog on board survived the wreck.

At approximately 9:20 a.m. on December 23, 2025, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received notification from Air Force Rescue Coordination that a distress signal had been transmitted from a single-engine aircraft.

Following the distress signal, Klamath County Dispatch also received an iPhone crash detection alert believed to be associated with the same incident.

The aircraft was located in a remote area south of Silver Lake and west of Summer Lake, near Pole Butte.

Upon arrival, responders located a single-occupant aircraft. The sole occupant was found deceased at the scene. A dog that was also on board the aircraft survived the incident.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the investigation.

This remains a very preliminary investigation, and limited information is available. The identity of the deceased is not be released pending next-of-kin notification. The cause of the incident remains under investigation.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area along with assisting agencies, including Lake County Search and Rescue, Oregon State Police, Silver Lake EMS and Fire, Christmas Valley Fire, Oregon State Fire Marshal, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Klamath County Search and Rescue, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Crescent Rural Fire Protection District was put on standby.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

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