Piper PA-12 accident near Salem, Oregon, July 31, 1994
On July 31, 1994 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-12, registered N2368M, suffered minor damage in an accident near Salem, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SEE-AND-AVOID THE OCCUPIED CANOE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION AND EXCESSIVE TAXI SPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1994 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-12 · all PA-12s on the register
- Registration
- N2368M · registry record · serial 12-1500
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE FLOAT PLANE STATED THAT WHILE EN ROUTE, HE WAS MAKING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS ON A RIVER. A LANDING WAS MADE AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE AREA OF A FERRY TERMINAL, WHICH HAD SWIMMERS AND BOATING NEARBY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT PROCEEDED TO STEP TAXI THE FLOAT PLANE THROUGH THE AREA. JUST PAST THE FERRY TERMINAL, THE FLOAT PLANE HIT A CANOE WITH 2 ADULTS AND 2 CHILDREN THAT WAS MOVING PARALLEL WITH THE RIVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE NEVER SAW THE CANOE, AND THAT WHEN HE FELT A BUMP, HE THOUGHT THAT A FLOAT HAD COLLIDED WITH A ROCK. THE 2 ADULTS IN THE BOAT WERE FATALLY INJURED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command; 1,450 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,183 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 1994; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,858 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Newberg OR at 10:00 pm
- Destination: Independence OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from SLE, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N2368M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA94FA199.