Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche, N7155Y: Fatal accident occurred March 18, 2020 near Eagle Nest Ranch Airport (OR65), Estacada, Clackamas County, Oregon.
Gary Welter's property in Warren, Oregon, features an eclectic collection of what some might consider "junk" turned into yard art, each piece with its own story to tell.
"This truck right here is eventually going to be a picnic table," said Welter, walking walking toward an old pickup truck. Nearby, half of a 1985 Corvette has been turned into a gate. A 1956 Chevy sits in the front yard. Welter said was either going to the trash or his front yard, and he chose the yard.
"I see something and it just kind of strikes me and we do it," Welter said.
What Gary didn't know was that one particular piece of yard art would cause quite a stir. Along his private beachfront, Welter has the tail end of a Piper Comanche twin engine airplane sticking out of the tree line.
"It's come apart right at the fuselage, the tail," he said, pointing at the tail of the plane. The wrecked plane's tail was placed on the shoreline at the end of June. Welter's friend Chuck Hamm was the plane's co-owner and was going to scrap it.
"Gary said, what are you going to do with the tail section? What are you going to do with that wing? It's all going to scrap, it's not salvageable," Hamm said.
Welter told Hamm about his plans to turn it into yard art. Hamm told him to come and get it.
Like all of Welter's pieces, the airplane wreckage has its own story to tell. The story of how it came to rest 55 miles away from where it crashed begins on March 18, 2020.
Chuck Hamm co-owned the plane with his cousin, George Sheasley. Sheasley had taken off from the Eagle Nest Ranch airport near Estacada in the afternoon of March 18, 2020.
Shortly after takeoff, something went wrong and Sheasley crashed. Neighbors pulled him from the wreckage, he was life flighted to a hospital with serious burns. The NTSB says the crash is still being investigated.
"If there wasn't neighbors there at the time of the accident, he would've burnt to death in the airplane." Hamm said, "They were able to get him out of the airplane and the airplane burnt down to a hulk. You couldn't even recognize it as an airplane anymore, other than the wing and tail section."
Sheasley passed away months later. The plane was moved to Welter's property 56 miles away, off Highway 30 near Rainier.
Nobody paid much attention to it, until a boater passing by called the Coast Guard to report an airplane crash Monday.
The Coast Guard responded, launching a helicopter to look for survivors. A rescue swimmer took a closer look and determined the wreckage was from the March 2020 crash. The search for survivors was called off.
Gary Welter's property in Warren, Oregon, features an eclectic collection of what some might consider "junk" turned into yard art, each piece with its own story to tell.
"This truck right here is eventually going to be a picnic table," said Welter, walking walking toward an old pickup truck. Nearby, half of a 1985 Corvette has been turned into a gate. A 1956 Chevy sits in the front yard. Welter said was either going to the trash or his front yard, and he chose the yard.
"I see something and it just kind of strikes me and we do it," Welter said.
What Gary didn't know was that one particular piece of yard art would cause quite a stir. Along his private beachfront, Welter has the tail end of a Piper Comanche twin engine airplane sticking out of the tree line.
"It's come apart right at the fuselage, the tail," he said, pointing at the tail of the plane. The wrecked plane's tail was placed on the shoreline at the end of June. Welter's friend Chuck Hamm was the plane's co-owner and was going to scrap it.
"Gary said, what are you going to do with the tail section? What are you going to do with that wing? It's all going to scrap, it's not salvageable," Hamm said.
Welter told Hamm about his plans to turn it into yard art. Hamm told him to come and get it.
Like all of Welter's pieces, the airplane wreckage has its own story to tell. The story of how it came to rest 55 miles away from where it crashed begins on March 18, 2020.
Chuck Hamm co-owned the plane with his cousin, George Sheasley. Sheasley had taken off from the Eagle Nest Ranch airport near Estacada in the afternoon of March 18, 2020.
Shortly after takeoff, something went wrong and Sheasley crashed. Neighbors pulled him from the wreckage, he was life flighted to a hospital with serious burns. The NTSB says the crash is still being investigated.
"If there wasn't neighbors there at the time of the accident, he would've burnt to death in the airplane." Hamm said, "They were able to get him out of the airplane and the airplane burnt down to a hulk. You couldn't even recognize it as an airplane anymore, other than the wing and tail section."
Sheasley passed away months later. The plane was moved to Welter's property 56 miles away, off Highway 30 near Rainier.
Nobody paid much attention to it, until a boater passing by called the Coast Guard to report an airplane crash Monday.
The Coast Guard responded, launching a helicopter to look for survivors. A rescue swimmer took a closer look and determined the wreckage was from the March 2020 crash. The search for survivors was called off.
"I never thought anything would like this would happen, kind of blown up. Hopefully it puts a little laughter in everybody's day. We weren't trying to create a stir," said Welter.
Hamm says his cousin would've gotten a kick out of the whole situation.
"His sense of humor and everything, I know he is looking down and he is laughing about this and he's going 'Chuckie, what the heck did you do now?'"
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Hillsboro, Oregon
https://registry.faa.gov/N7155Y
Location: Eagle Creek, OR
Accident Number: WPR20LA111
Date & Time: 03/18/2020, 1700 PDT
Registration: N7155Y
Aircraft: Piper PA 30
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On March 18, 2020 about 1700 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-30 airplane, N7155Y, impacted terrain during takeoff from Eagle Nest Ranch Airport (OR65), Estacada, Oregon. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Video of the accident revealed the airplane lifted off the runway surface with a nose high, left-wing low attitude. After liftoff, the airplane immediately banked to a right-wing low attitude and appeared to be in a slow climb. When the airplane reached about 15-20 feet above the ground it made a left turn towards adjacent trees. The airplane continued the left turn until the left wing struck a tree. The airplane subsequently struck the ground and trees and burst into flames.
Witnesses reported they heard the airplane takeoff from the grass strip. Some stated that the airplane didn't sound as loud as it normally would. Immediately after the accident occurred, they proceeded to the airplane and pulled the pilot out of the wreckage.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N7155Y
Model/Series: PA 30 No Series
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: TTD, 39 ft msl
Observation Time: 1653 PDT
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 14°C / 1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 300°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.87 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Eagle Creek, OR (OR65)
Destination: Eagle Creek, OR (OR65)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion:None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 45.352778, -122.340833 (est)
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Hillsboro, Oregon
https://registry.faa.gov/N7155Y
Location: Eagle Creek, OR
Accident Number: WPR20LA111
Date & Time: 03/18/2020, 1700 PDT
Registration: N7155Y
Aircraft: Piper PA 30
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On March 18, 2020 about 1700 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-30 airplane, N7155Y, impacted terrain during takeoff from Eagle Nest Ranch Airport (OR65), Estacada, Oregon. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Video of the accident revealed the airplane lifted off the runway surface with a nose high, left-wing low attitude. After liftoff, the airplane immediately banked to a right-wing low attitude and appeared to be in a slow climb. When the airplane reached about 15-20 feet above the ground it made a left turn towards adjacent trees. The airplane continued the left turn until the left wing struck a tree. The airplane subsequently struck the ground and trees and burst into flames.
Witnesses reported they heard the airplane takeoff from the grass strip. Some stated that the airplane didn't sound as loud as it normally would. Immediately after the accident occurred, they proceeded to the airplane and pulled the pilot out of the wreckage.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Piper
Registration: N7155Y
Model/Series: PA 30 No Series
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: TTD, 39 ft msl
Observation Time: 1653 PDT
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 14°C / 1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 300°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.87 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Eagle Creek, OR (OR65)
Destination: Eagle Creek, OR (OR65)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: On-Ground
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion:None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 45.352778, -122.340833 (est)
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.
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