Maule M7-235B accident near Sunriver, OR
On June 22, 2019, a Maule M7-235B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sunriver, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 22, 2019
- Place
- Sunriver, OR
- Aircraft
- Maule M7-235B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 43.864°N, 121.455°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190622X51304
Official records · WPR19FA178
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 22, 2019, about 1040 Pacific daylight time, an amphibious Maule M-7-235B airplane, N118G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sunriver, Oregon. The pilot was fatally injured, and the pilot-rated passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the passenger, the purpose of the flight was to see how the airplane performed with two people onboard. The pilot taxied the airplane to the runway, performed an engine run-up with no anomalies noted, and began the takeoff roll. The passenger stated that the throttle was full forward and the engine did not sound abnormal. He stated that the pilot rotated the airplane about 65 knots with about 1,000 ft of the 5,461-ft-long runway remaining, and the airplane lifted off the runway into ground effect. He recalled that once the airplane climbed out of ground effect, the rate of climb was slow, and it was apparent that they would not clear the 50-ft-tall trees across the river. The pilot maneuvered the airplane to the left, and the airplane touched down on the Deschutes River, nosed over, and began to fill with water. The passenger said that he was unaware that the river was the intended forced landing site until seconds before touchdown. Two witnesses who saw the takeoff described the airplane as low and struggling to gain altitude. One witness stated that the engine "sounded like the pilot had not throttled up enough or the engine was bogging for some reason." He stated that there was a "defi
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power due to the separation of baffling in both mufflers. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to retract the landing gear on the float-equipped airplane before performing a forced landing to the river.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
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Browse: Oregon · Maule aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
