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Sheriff's Office Says Fatal Bend, Oregon Cirrus SR22T Crash Was Intentional; NTSB Investigation Open

One person aboard was killed when a 2025 Cirrus SR22T struck the ground near Bend on August 4, 2026 after more than five hours airborne; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 6, 2026, 10:03 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 10:18 a.m. ET

More on this incident

The airplane involved in a fatal crash near on August 4, 2026 was a 2025 , registration , according to reporting by AeroTime. The aircraft was registered to So Fly Aviation LLC of Eugene, Oregon; the registered owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight. AVweb places the crash near , and AeroTime near . AVweb and AeroTime report the airplane departed Municipal Airport at approximately 1:30 p.m. and remained airborne for just over five hours, circling a heavily forested area west of the city, before striking the ground at a time given as by AVweb and by AeroTime. AeroTime reports one person was aboard and one person was killed; both outlets report no deaths on the ground, and AeroTime reports no injuries. The pilot was identified as 48-year-old Steven Nicholas Charlton of , who both outlets report had been indicted earlier that day on five felony counts of first-degree invasion of personal privacy, alleging he recorded two people while nude and with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Both outlets report that law enforcement attempted contact during the flight and that Charlton wished to speak only with family members, and that the FBI contacted the Air Force base at Klamath Falls as a precaution. AVweb reports the airplane struck the ground at high speed and did not catch fire, presumably having run out of fuel. The cause has not been determined. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has said its detectives determined the crash was intentional and that the pilot brought the airplane down deliberately, according to both AVweb and AeroTime. That is the sheriff's office's stated position and not a finding of the federal investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are also investigating, and the NTSB has asked anyone who witnessed the flight or the crash to contact the agency. The sheriff's office has restricted access to the crash site because hazards remain in the area. 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, both outlets report. Weather observed at Municipal Airport, 6.2 miles away and nine minutes from the reported time of the crash, recorded wind from 330 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 5 statute miles in haze, clear skies and 84°F. That is an instrument reading and is not offered as a cause or contributing factor.

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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.

Terrain elevation
3,632 ft
Nearest aerodrome
2.1 miles WNW of Pilot Butte Airport (8OR5)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 37 Aug 2026, 14:18current

    No new facts; tightened attribution of the registration reporting and clarified that the weather readings are not a statement by anyone.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Version 16 Aug 2026, 19:38

    First published.

  5. Version 16 Aug 2026, 14:12

    First published.

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