On September 6, 1996, about 1700 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N12382, registered to Valley Flyers, Inc. of Salem, Oregon, struck a wire while in flight about 2 miles southeast of Pacific City, Oregon. The commercial pilot, who was not injured, landed the airplane at Salem, Oregon, the flight's intended destination, without further incident. The aircraft was subsequently found to be substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions were reported and no flight plan had been filed for the 14 CFR 91 flight from Pacific City State Airport. There were no reports of any other occupants in the aircraft. The pilot reported that he was flying along the Oregon coast at a point where the Salmon River flows into the Pacific Ocean, and turned there to follow the river upstream at an altitude of about 200 feet. He stated that he looked up from looking at the water to see an unmarked power line that had been strung from a steep hill off the airplane's left wing and crossed the river. The pilot stated that he maneuvered the airplane to attempt to fly underneath the wires at their highest point, but the airplane struck another, smaller set of wires located below the power line that he initially saw.