# Accident 20010716016519A: Piper PA12, Oregon City, OR, July 16, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 16, 2001, 17:20 local time - Place: Oregon City, OR - Damage: No damage - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 45.3394° N, 122.6595° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.3394&lon=-122.6595&mi=10 - Aircraft: N918TF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N918TF) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-12 (registry code 7101202, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-12) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-290 series (registry code 41506, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA12 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA01LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA01LA134) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010716016519A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON JULY 16, 2001, APPROXIMATELY 1720 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-12 FLOATPLANE, N918TF, REGISTERED TO AN INDIVIDUAL, AND BEING FLOWN BY A PRIVATE NON-FLOATPLANE RATED PILOT ACCOMPANIED BY A FLOATPLANE RATED AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A LOG DURING STEP TAXI TO TAKEOFF IN THE WILLIAMETTE RIVER, OREGON CITY, OREGON. BOTH PILOTS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AS IT SANK, AND WERE UNINJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT, WHICH WAS INSTRUCTIONAL, WAS OPERATED UNDER 14CFR91, AND ORIGINATED LOCALLY ON THE LATE AFTERNOON OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT, A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, REPORTED THAT THE PILOT UNDER INSTRUCTION (SEATED FORWARD) HAD JUST LANDED ON THE WILLIAMETTE RIVER REVERSED DIRECTION AND WAS STEP TAXIING TO TAKEOFF WHEN THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT FLOAT IMPACTED A TREE STUMP PROTRUDING APPROXIMATELY 15 INCHES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. HE STATED THAT HE FELT THE IMPACT AND THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHTFLOAT BECAME AIRBORNE WHILE THE LEFT WING DIPPED. THE LEFT WING THEN IMPACTED THE WATER AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP UPRIGHT IN THE WATER. THE RIG HT FLOAT, WHICH HAD BEEN BREACHED, BEGAN TO FILL WITH WATER AND THE AIRCRAFT GRADUALLY NOSED OVER WHILE SINKING. THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND BOTH PILOTS EVACUATED BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT BECAME INVERTED. (-23) CFI GUNDERSON (BACK SEAT) AND STUDENT NICOLAI (FRONT SEAT) WERE PRACTICING LANDINGS ON THE WILLIAMETTE RIVER. IT WAS A TRAINING FLIGHT. THE WEATHER WAS VFR. FOLLOWING A DOWNSTREAM LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT WAS TURNED UP RIVER AND STEP TAXIED BY NICOLAI TOWARD THE POINT OF LANDING. THE RIGHT FLOAT STRUCK A LARGE TREE STUMP WHICH EXTENDED APPROXIMATELY 15 INCHES ABOVE THE WATER. THE IMPACT SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED THE RIGHT FLOAT AND CAUSED THE LEFT WING TO STRIKE THE WATER. IT WAS ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED AND THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN. WATER FILLED THE FLOAT AND THE AIRCRAFT TIPPED FORWARD. THE PILOTS EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT ROLLED INVERTED IN THE WATER. THEY WERE TAKEN FROM THE RIVER BY BOAT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB SEA01LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA01LA134), Jul 17, 2001: Piper PA-12 (N918TF), Oregon City, OR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The front seat (pilot-in-command's) inadequate visual lookout during step taxi resulting in the aircraft's collision with a partially submerged log. A contributing factor was the log and it's lack of… ## Other reports on N918TF (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20150129001179A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150129001179A), Jan 29, 2015: Piper PA-12 (N918TF), Ridgefield, WA, Substantial damage. While flying north from pearson fld. (Vuo) the engine had a sudden loss of power. According to the pilot the flight was for currency and practice of ground… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.