Motorcycle accident claims Whidbey sailor

The search for a missing Whidbey Island Naval Air Station sailor ended late Friday when his body was discovered in a yard off Yates Road. Nikolas "Nik" Ngo, 21, was found at about 5 p.m., according to Lt. Tim Sterkel of the Oak Harbor Police Department. The 911 caller noticed the wreckage of Ngo's motorcycle and notified authorities.

The search for a missing Whidbey Island Naval Air Station sailor ended late Friday when his body was discovered in a yard off Yates Road.

Nikolas “Nik” Ngo, 21, was found at about 5 p.m., according to Lt. Tim Sterkel of the Oak Harbor Police Department. The 911 caller noticed the wreckage of Ngo’s motorcycle and notified authorities.

Ngo, an enlisted man with Maritime Patrol Squadron 69, had been missing since Wednesday, Sept. 7.

While the circumstances of the accident are not yet clear, Ngo appears to have been eastbound on Yates Road, which is a side street of North Heller Road, when something happened.

His motorcycle, a black 2005 Kawasaki ZX 1000, exited the north side of the road, crashed through a wooden fence and came to rest in a yard. Ngo was wearing a helmet but appears to have collided with trees.

The exact time of the accident is unknown but officers at the scene speculated that the young man had been there since he went missing. Both Ngo and the bike were apparently obscured from view by trees and heavy shade.

Ngo was last heard from Wednesday afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. when he text-messaged his girl friend that he was on his way to her home in Lake Stevens. He never arrived and then didn’t show up for work on Thursday or Friday.

His disappearance sparked a search by police, emergency personnel and members of his family. Sterkel said they began walking the road from Oak Harbor to Sharpes Corner Friday looking for any sign of the young man.

Sterkel said it’s unknown why Ngo was traveling on Yates Road, but high speed appears to have been a factor in the accident.