Man Arrested for Tampering with Aircraft at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport

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An airport operations employee inspecting the jet that was pulled out onto the tarmac.

A North Bend man was arrested early on Wednesday, September 3 after unlawfully gaining entry into a restricted area at Southwest Oregon Regional Airport and tampering with multiple of the aircraft stationed there. According to the North Bend Police Department (NBPD), they arrived on the scene at 5:31 a.m. to find that Melvin Myhill, 57, was trespassing and causing criminal mischief.

Airport staff had reported that several aircraft had been tampered with, including Myhill removing one from its hangar after gaining access to a pull-cart. All in, it has been reported that 11 aircraft had been accessed, damaged, or tampered with. Myhill was observed inside of one of the private planes when the officers arrived and was arrested without incident. The NBPD called it a “Vandalism Incident” in their official communications on the subject.

“A total of 11 aircraft were affected, all of which were parked inside the commercial hangar or on the apron inside the secured airport boundary. All aircraft owners and operators have been notified and advised to conduct thorough checks and inspections before moving their aircraft,” stated official communication from Southwest Regional.

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One of the 11 airplanes unlawfully accessed inside of a commercial hangar.

Thankfully it seems no major damage was done, though one investigator found what was supposedly one of Myhill’s boots in an engine compartment. Aircrafts were able to continue to move throughout the airport as normal, with no commercial, general, or cargo flights affected by the incident.

Myhill was taken into custody and subsequently released to be transported to Bay Area Hospital for a mental health evaluation. This was after he was charged with the following 17 charges:

11 counts of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree

2 counts of Unauthorized Entry into a Motor Vehicle

1 count of Attempted Unauthorized Entry into a Motor Vehicle

1 count of Burglary in the Second Degree

1 count of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle

1 count of Criminal Trespass in the Second Degree

Though these are just the local charges, there is a chance that given it occurred on Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) regulated property that federal charges will follow pending the ongoing, multi-agency investigation.

“The Southwest Oregon Regional Airport administration is working closely with the NBPD, FAA, Transportation Security Administration ( TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, and Coos Aviation. Property inspections, security checks, and reporting are ongoing in coordination with federal and local authorities,” concluded the airport’s official statement on the matter.

The investigation remains ongoing with the authorities asking anyone with further information to reach out to NBPD about Case Number N20252370 at: (541) 756-3161

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