A Lebanon pilot and his passengers were unharmed Sunday, Aug. 18, when they crash-landed in Marion Lake in northeast Linn County.
Linn County Undersheriff Bruce Riley said witnesses, including a U.S. Forest Service ranger, reported a single engine fixed winged airplane had crashed into the lake after losing engine power at 11:26 a.m. Sunday.
Marion Lake is located in the Willamette National Forest about three miles east of Hwy 22 at mile post 66.5 and is accessed by hiking approximately 2 miles from the end of Marion Road.
Riley said the pilot, Trevor Jordan Schultz, 28, and passengers Tim Lee Miller, 47, Tyrel Miller, 13, and Megan Miller 12, all from the Lebanon area, were found to be unharmed and were in good spirits. Schultz was flying the privately owned, single- engine, Cessna 172B, manufactured in 1961, at the time of the crash.
The airplane departed from Lebanon Municipal Airport Sunday morning to look for elk hunting areas. The airplane began experiencing engine problems at about 10 a.m. Within a few minutes, the airplane experienced total engine failure. Schultz spotted Marion Lake and was able to glide the airplane to the lake and safely land in the water, Riley said.
All four passengers quickly exited the plane as it was sinking and swam to the nearby shore. The incident was witnessed by members of a Boy Scout troop from Salem who were camping at the lake. A Boy Scout troop leader led the pilot and passengers to the Marion Lake Trail Head where they were later met by a sheriff’s deputy, Riley said.
He said that contact has been made with the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the U.S. Forest Service during the investigation.
The FAA and NTSB will continue the investigation into the incident and make arrangements to retrieve the aircraft.