Coast Guard Continues Search for Boater Who Went Missing Near Kill Devil Hills

November 24, 2019 | Local News

Pictured are the search patterns completed by Coast Guard members on Saturday in their on-going search for Michael Bye, a 50-year-old man missing off the coast of North Carolina. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

The U.S. Coast Guard continues their search for a 50-year-old boater who was reported missing while sailing from New York to Florida on Thursday night.

Michael Bye was reported to be sailing aboard his 35-foot recreational vessel, the H.M.S. Me II.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center were notified at 7:40 p.m. on Thursday that Bye had failed to make contact at an agreed-upon time by a family member.

Coast Guard crews searched today aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and HC-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as well as Coast Guard response boats until dark. Searches are planned to continue Monday morning.

The crew of the Jayhawk searched from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to the Virginia state line. The crew of the Hercules searched between 50 and 75 miles off the coast of North Carolina.

Crews from Coast Guard small boat stations have also conducted patrols of their respective areas of responsibility for signs of the missing man and his vessel.

Anyone with additional information regarding this case should contact the D5 command center on VHF-FM channel 16 or at 757-398-6390.