Pilot reported normal departure from Lake Beryessa seaplane base on the way to KLAX, with a planned stop at Napa to drop off his passenger, who is a licensed professional charter pilot for a professional airline. His passenger reported that the engine "started to sound overworked about 15 miles from Napa," but that he disregarded this because it was his friend's plane and his friend did not seem worried. A few minutes later, however, the engine began to sputter, and ultimately the engine stopped.

The pilot, acting on advice from his professional charter pilot passenger, opted for a water landing on a small lake. The aircraft touched down without incident, despite that the pilot had raised the retractible gear after takeoff, thereby causing the floats to detach. The aircraft remained floating long enough for the occupants to deplane. While the pilot swam 500 yards to shore in one direction, the passenger waded 15 feet to shore in the other.

An inspection of the aircraft revealed that the tanks were filled with 100LL fumes and 23 cigarette butts.

The Virtual Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident as follows:

The passenger's failure to use his advanced professional pilot training and skills to realise that the aircraft had insufficient fuel for the planned trip; the passenger's failure to note the illegal outfitting of a retractible gear aircraft with floats; the passenger's failure to ensure that the gear was not retracted on takeoff; the passenger's failure to realize that the floats had been sheared off by the pilot's retracting the gear and advising a water landing; the passenger's failure to ensure that the fuel tanks were clear of cigarette butts.

An eyewitness who was driving by the area reports that the aircraft was on what appeared to be a rather low approach to Bonnie Doon when it suddenly made a noise consistent with the addition of full power and yawed violently to the right. The aircraft recovered to level flight, but in so doing lost a lot of height so that it was actually flying in between the trees. As the aircraft swerved to the left to avoid a tree on its right, the left wing was sheared off at the root. The witness noted the right aileron deflect pathetically upwards in an attempt to roll just before the aircraft struck the ground and all three landing gear failed.

An examination of the site reveals that the downward slope of terrain then caused the aircraft to slide out of control towards another tree, but that a rock interfered with its course and diverted the fuselage so that the right wing was sheared off at the root. The wreckage thereafter slid to a halt.

The eyewitness, who had stopped to take pictures of the event, states that the pilot exited the plane through the broken windscreen, stumbled over to where the eyewitness was standing with his camera, took the camera, snapped a photo of the wreckage, then disappeared with the camera into the woods.

The pilot has not been found nor identified.

An examination of the wreckage revealed that the right engine propeller was feathered and the engine had not been running at the time of the crash. The doohicky for the right engine could not be located, and is presumed to have been taken by the pilot. The left engine doohicky appeared normal, under the circumstances.

The Virtual Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident as follows:

The pilot's operating the aircraft with an illegal modified doohicky on the right engine; the pilot's improper management of an engine-out situation; the pilot's failure to maintain proper attitude for the approach to the airport; the pilot's failure to observe proper tree clearances both during flight and on the ground; the pilot's failure to avoid the trees that sheared off each the left and right wings, and the pilot's failure to set the aircraft down on suitable terrain. Factors include sloped terrain, trees, and rocks.

VTSB Identification: 3M3T18. The docket is stored on VTSB microfiche number DMS.
Part 91: General Aviation
Incident occurred: Saturday, August 23, 2003 in Eek, AK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/25/03
Aircraft: Piper PA-12, registration: Unregistered
Injuries: 1 uninjured

According to the pilot, he had just purchased a PA-12 through an ad in Trade-O-Plane and was flying it from where he picked it up in Sleetmute (SLQ) to his home in Eek (EEK). Weather conditions were normal for the area -- marginal VFR in rain and mist, with winds gusting in variable directions up to 20 kts. The pilot, being familiar with both the area and the weather, stated he felt the flight could be made safely.

Stopping for fuel in Red Devil (RDV), Holy Cross (HCA), Aniak (ANI), Akiak (AKI), and Bethel (BET), the pilot pressed on to Eek (EEK). Upon arrival at Eek, he flew over the runway to observe the muddy conditions, then circled around to make a soft-field approach to runway 17.

The pilot reported that, when he lowered the flaps, a doohicky partially separated from the airframe, tore through the aircraft's skin, and struck the left wing strut, causing the partial or total separation of at least four additional doohickys. One of the newly separated doohickys struck the left landing gear, causing total separation of yet another doohicky, resulting in the loss of the entire left main landing gear.

Given an increasingly critical fuel situation, the pilot opted to continue the landing on the right gear, and reports that, on touchdown, "the entire aircraft folded like a paper accordian."

Examination of the aircraft revealed that the registration number painted on the tail belonged to a 737-400, and that the airframe was made up of approximately 643 broken and mangled doohickys secured with bent paper clips and Elmer's glue. The aircraft skin was found to be a form of paper that had been painted with yellow latex exterior housepaint to resemble the typical paint scheme of a PA-12.

The Virtual Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident as follows:

The pilot's inadequate preflight that would reasonably have detected an imminent doohicky failure, the pilot's failure to ensure adequate fuel reserves to account for the emergency, and the pilot's failure to properly execute a soft-field landing. Factors include the missing left main gear and the fact that the aircraft was a cheap counterfeit made almost entirely of broken doohickys.

NTSB Identification: SJC0U812. The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number DMS.
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
Incident occurred: Friday, June 13, 2003 in San Francisco, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/15/03
Aircraft: Cessna 172N, registration: N407LG
Injuries: 1 Serious, if the Boss catches him

The aircraft was seen by numerous witnesses traveling "incredibly low" at an "unusually high rate of speed" over and through the city of San Francisco. It was reported that the aircraft was low enough to be dodging between the tallest buildings. As it neared the waterfront, the aircraft dove down and witnesses estimate that it resumed level flight "between approximately 50 and 100 ft above the water" as it approached and flew under the Oakland Bay Bridge. The aircraft continued to pick up speed in ground effect as it turned towards the Golden Gate Bridge, apparently with the intent to fly under that structure.

Witnesses reported that, as the aircraft passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, a loud "boom" was heard, "like a cannon had gone off." The sound was accompanied by a sudden formation of clouds in the immediate vicinity of the aircraft, in a pattern suggestive of a shockwave caused by an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound. One witness had a camera and caught a picture of the aircraft as it passed under the Golden Gate Bridge that clearly illustrates this phenomenon.

Inspection of the aircraft after the incident revealed that it had a broken doohicky.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this incident as follows:

The pilot's operating the aircraft with a broken doohicky. Factors include a screaming tailwind and the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient distance from the surface of the water to fly over the bridges and avoid breaking the sound barrier.

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