Petz Flying Boat accident near Tracy, CA
On August 28, 2003, a Petz Flying Boat (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tracy, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 28, 2003
- Place
- Tracy, CA
- Aircraft
- Petz Flying Boat · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.679°N, 121.300°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030904X01455
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 28, 2003, at 0838 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Petz Flying Boat, N1216Z, lost propeller thrust and collided with terrain approximately 660 feet south of Tracy Municipal Airport, Tracy, California. The airplane was operated by the private pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. The flight originated at Tracy Municipal Airport about 0835. Witnesses reported that the airplane took off and climbed to about 150 feet when it started to turn back to the airport. As it turned it descended into a gravel pit area, collided with a raised embankment, and was immediately engulfed in fire. PERSONNEL The pilot was issued his private pilot certificate on June 10, 1993, with single engine land, single engine sea, and instrument airplane ratings. The pilots flight log book was not recovered but family members report that he had at about 1,400 hours of flight time and that he had experience flying sea planes in Alaska. The pilot possessed a valid third class medical dated September, 2002, with a waiver for glasses to correct for near vision. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was the pilot's own design and construction. The design was loosely based on the Lake Amphibian type with the main fuselage shaped like a boat hull and the engine elevated over the top of the wing in a pusher configuration. The construction was entirely out of composite materials. The engine was a Mazda, tu
Probable cause
The inadequate design of the engine exhaust system and inappropriate selection of propeller materials by the designer/builder, which resulted in separation of the propeller blades during takeoff/initial climb, and a subsequent in-flight collision with terrain during the ensuing off-airport emergency landing.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
