Sheriff's Office Says Cirrus SR22T Crash Near Bend, Oregon, Was Intentional; Federal Investigation Open
One person aboard was killed when the airplane came down on August 4, 2026, after more than five hours circling west of Bend; the NTSB and FAA investigation remains open.
By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 6, 2026, 10:03 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 10:18 a.m. ET
A crashed near , on August 4, 2026, at a time reported as by AVweb and as by Aerotime. The federal investigation remains open and the account is still developing.
AVweb reported that the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said detectives determined the crash was intentional; Aerotime reported that sheriff's office That is the sheriff's stated position. The cause has not been determined by the accident authorities: the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating alongside the sheriff's office and the FBI, and the NTSB has asked anyone who witnessed the flight or the crash to contact the agency.
Aerotime reported one person on board and one fatality, with no injuries and no deaths on the ground; AVweb also reported no ground fatalities. Both outlets identified the pilot as 48-year-old Steven Nicholas Charlton of , who sustained fatal injuries, and reported that he had been indicted earlier that day on five felony counts of first-degree invasion of personal privacy, the charges alleging he recorded two people while they were nude and had a reasonable expectation of privacy.
The airplane departed Municipal Airport at approximately 1:30 p.m. and remained airborne more than five hours, circling a heavily forested area west of , the outlets reported. Law enforcement attempted contact during the flight, but Charlton wished only to speak with his family, and the FBI contacted the Air Force base at Klamath Falls as a precaution. The Cirrus struck the ground at high speed and did not catch fire, presumably having run out of fuel, according to the reporting. The response included the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team, the FBI, the FAA, Fire & Rescue, the Central Oregon Irrigation District and the sheriff's office, which restricted access to the crash site because hazards remained in the area.
Aerotime gave the registration as and described the airplane as a 2025 registered to So Fly Aviation LLC of Eugene, Oregon; AVweb also reported the airplane as registered to that company. A registered owner of record is not necessarily the operator of the flight, the pilot, or otherwise connected to it. Weather observations recorded at Municipal Airport (KBDN), 6.2 miles away and nine minutes from the reported time, showed wind from 330 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 5 statute miles in haze, clear skies and a temperature of 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Those are instrument readings and are not a statement by anyone about what happened.
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Reference data
From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.
No new facts; tightened attribution of the registration reporting and clarified that the weather readings are not a statement by anyone.
Version 27 Aug 2026, 14:18current
Removed the developing-story framing now that the account is settled, and noted the differing location wording between AVweb and AeroTime.
Version 27 Aug 2026, 12:46
Added Aerotime reporting: registration N625LK, 2025 model year, one on board and one fatality, the same-day indictment on five felony privacy counts, the FBI's precautionary contact with the Klamath Falls air base, and the high-speed impact with no fire; time now given as a sourced conflict.
Version 16 Aug 2026, 19:38
First published.
Version 16 Aug 2026, 14:12
First published.
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