Cruiser/Pilot Missing in Palau

Longtime Changes in Latitude contributor and former Monterey resident Frank Ohlinger went missing off Palau on Sunday after the plane he was piloting lost its GPS at night. Ohlinger had been hired by Palauan authorities to fly two officials to the site of a burning Chinese fishing vessel suspected of poaching giant clams in the Ngeruangel Atoll marine preserve. Officials believe the fishermen aboard set the mothership on fire before boarding a smaller vessel in a failed getaway attempt, and wanted photos before the ship sank.

At some point during the flight, Ohlinger reported that his GPS had failed. The airport shot off flares and turned all its lights on to help Ohlinger locate the landing strip, but during his final transmission around 8:15 p.m., he notified the airport he would run out of fuel in a matter of minutes. A search of over 6,500 square miles — performed by Palauan vessels, the Coast Guard, and Paul Allen’s 414-ft yacht Octopus, which happened to be in the area and offered assistance — has yet to turn up any sign of the plane or its crew.

Ohlinger’s last report in the January issue of Latitude recounted his delivery from Palau to New Zealand in November aboard the Apache 40 catamaran, Cadence, he’d just sold. We hope Ohlinger was able to ditch his plane safely, and that he and his passengers are awaiting rescue.