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Two escape harm in Rogue River plane crash Monday Jan 28, 2002 at 2:00 AM Feb 16, 2011 at 8:48 AM Melissa Martin Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell — Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT — A helicopter mechanic waded through cold water carrying his 7-year-old son in his arms after a seaplane he was flying crashed in the Rogue River Sunday afternoon. Pilot Gary Amidon, 47, and his son, Joshua, escaped serious injury when the single-engine floatplane they were flying in landed upside down in the water near Dodge Bridge An experienced pilot, Amidon was apparently landing the plane in a straight stretch of the river when the pontoons dug in, flipping the aircraft on its top, said Rod Edwards, Fire District — battalion chief. Amidon managed to unbuckle seat belts, grab his son and carry him to shore, wading through waist-deep water that was barely warmer than the 37-degree air. It was so cold and the air was crisp, Edwards said. It was not a good day for swimming in the river. Paramedics treated Amidon and his son for minor cuts. Once his son was taken to a warm, dry place, Amidon recruited friends and family to help pry the airplane out of the riverbed. Despite fast-approaching darkness, they managed to float the aircraft downstream to a dock. The plane's recovery was approved by Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board officials who visited the crash site Sunday afternoon. The FAA will continue investigating the crash. An Erickson Aircrane helicopter mechanic, Amidon recently built a hangar behind his Rogue Air Drive home on a private airstrip in Shady Cove. He had invested much time and money restoring the amphibious plane, his neighbor said. He had done a lot of work on it, said Gil Purdy, also a Shady Cove pilot. He's flown that airplane to Alaska and back. Amidon was a seasoned pilot with experience landing on swift water in winter and summer conditions, Edwards said. But on Sunday, his sinking plane was spotted by an angler with a cell phone, who called 911 at 12:47 p.m. A Jackson County sheriff's deputy arrived at the crash site riding on Rescue 4, the jet boat owned by Fire District 4 in Shady Cove, said Captain Rick Mendenhall. Fire District — in White City sent two engines, a rescue unit and a technical team trained to rappel from canyon walls or use swift-water techniques to rescue stranded river users. Sunday's only rescue, however, was lifting the flying machine out of the river's current. This is not the first pontoon plane to crash in the Rogue River, said Jackson County sheriff's deputy Don Adams. He remembers a crash near Dodge Bridge about 10 years ago. Amidon is among a handful of Southern Oregon pilots who routinely land on the Rogue River or at Emigrant Lake, rescue officials said. — Reach reporter at 776-4497, or e-mail