RedactedNarrative: On 6/20/21 at 1700 hours I was advised of a possible drift boat capsizing on the Madison River between Varney Bridge and Burnt Tree Hole FASs. A group of floaters taking out at the Ennis FAS advised they found a backpack and an oar floating in the river. They were able to recover the backpack. Inside the backpack was a wallet containing a driver's license belonging to The owner. I called the owners cell phone which went straight to voice mail. I spoke to several more floaters coming off the river, who advised they came upon a possible boat accident while floating the same stretch of river as listed above. 
  
  Witness #1 stated he was coming around in a bend in the river above Burnt Tree Hole FAS when he saw several drift boats stopped appearing to be assisting two floaters whose raft deflated and was unable to continue down river. They had to be loaded into one of the drift boats with their deflated raft and transported to the nearest takeout. Based on interviews at Ennis FAS with the Witness #1 and other floaters I believed this to be the boat belonging to the owner when he lost some of his belongings in the river. 
  
  On 6/21/20 at 1415 hours the owner contacted me regarding the voice mail I left him yesterday regarding his wallet. When I asked him if he and a friend were the guys in the raft he advised no, that he and his friend, (the operator), were floating the river from Varney to Ennis FASs and had an accident resulting in the boat capsizing and partially sinking against a submerged fallen tree. 
  
  The owner advised the accident happened sometime between 1300-1330 hours. He stated that they began their float around 8 a.m. from Varney Bridge FAS and he had been rowing the boat until around 1300. He stated he then let the operator take over rowing. The Owner stated the operator did not have any rowing experience. Not long after the operator began rowing they took a side channel along the east bank of the river. Not far into the side channel the current became variable and swift along a 3-4 foot cut bank. The operator began to have difficulty maintaining control of the boat with the oars at which point the current overwhelmed his abilities. 
  
  The Owner stated they came upon a partially submerged tree jutting out from the bank. The port side of the boat was pinned against the tree with the oar between the boat and the tree. The owner stated this caused the boat to tip away from the tree and it began to take on water. At this point the boat sank partially making loud cracking noises as it became pinned against the tree.  
  
  Upon interviewing the operator regarding the accident he advised he had little to no rowing experience and that upon entering the side channel the current made it difficult for him to row the boat properly. He stated they were floating river left along the high cut bank with the bow of the boat pointed toward the east bank. Before he could regain control of the boat he stated it came parallel with the partially submerged tree, the oar was pinned between the tree and the boat and facilitated the boat tilting away from the tree and lowering the port side of the boat into the water at which point the boat took on water and was partially submerged and pressed against the log. 
  
  The owner advised upon evacuating the boat they were able to tie the boat off to another tree. He stated that when they left the boat with assistance from a guide floating past, the bottom of the boat was pinned against the submerged tree with the bow submerged and the stern visible above water. 
  
  Following the capsizing of the boat both occupants were able to evacuate safely and without injury. A guide floating the river, offered them assistance and transported them to 8 Mile Ford FAS where they got a ride to their vehicle.
  
  The owner stated he could not be sure how extensive the damage was but saw what he thought were long vertical cracks running straight down from the oar locks on both the port and starboard sides of t