Plane Was Taking Off From A Gravel Bar When The Kayaker Was Struck

In one of the more unusual airplane accidents we've heard of, we must profess to hearing the phrase 'Cub versus Kayak' with a strong initial sense of disbelief.

Oregon's Yamhill County Sheriff, however, provided a lot of detail and immediate credibility to the initial report.

They noted that, "On August 4, 2021 at about 5:08 pm Yamhill Communications received a 911 call regarding an injured kayaker on the Willamette River in the area of Lower Lambert Bar between Dayton and the Wheatland Ferry.  A Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office marine patrol boat responded along with a water rescue boat from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, and land-based rescue and ambulance personnel from Dayton Fire District and McMinnville Fire Department.  The patient is a 42-year-old female from McMinnville who was recreating on the river in a kayak along with another adult female, age 68, in a separate kayak. 

Deputies arrived on scene and located the injured kayaker, as well as a Piper Super Cub plane on a gravel bar.  The water rescue boat from Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue transported the patient to the waiting ambulance at the end of SE Green Acres Road in rural Dayton. The preliminary investigation revealed that the plane was taking off from a gravel bar when the kayaker was struck by the plane. The pilot returned to the scene and has cooperated with the investigation. 

The involved plane is equipped with tundra tires allowing for takeoff and landing in this area, and the pilot reports having previously landed and taken off from this area approximately 50 times."

Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Sgt. Sam Elliott, said that the pilot returned to the scene and cooperated with authorities and that the woman is expected to survive, while a nearby woman in another kayak was not hazarded by the incident. Elliot reported that, “Speaking with the pilot, he’s apparently landed here approximately 50 times before and will land there and recreate in the water and then take off again...”

The experienced pilot was reported to have logged 6,500 hours of flight time.

More info to come...

FMI: www.co.yamhill.or.us/sheriff