Piper PA-44-180 accident near Adriatic Sea, Hr, August 1, 2008
On August 1, 2008 at about 1:33 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered DGZXB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Adriatic Sea. It was an instructional flight under non-U.S. private rules. 2 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2008 · about 1:33 pm local time
- Place
- Adriatic Sea, Croatia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- DGZXB · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 1, 2008, at 1333 universal coordinated time, a Piper PA-44-180 Seminole airplane, registration D-GZXB, serial no. 4496165, crashed into the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Zadar, Croatia. The two pilots on-board were fatally injured. The instructional flight departed Zadar Airport (LDZD) at an unconfirmed time. The airplane was reported missing after it failed to return from the local-area training mission. The wreckage was subsequently located southwest of the island of Mezanj, about 30 kilometers west of Zadar, Croatia. The accident investigation was initially placed under the jurisdiction of the Croatian Civil Aviation Authority (CAACRO). On April 4, 2009, the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications delegated the accident investigation in accordance with ICAO Annex 13, to the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU). The accident investigation is now under the jurisdiction of the German BFU. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information obtained for or released by the government of Germany. Any further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation Hermann-Blenk-Str. 16 38108 Braunschweig Germany Tel.: (49) 531 3548 0 Fax: (49) 531 3548 246 E-mail: box@bfu-web.de Web: http://www.bfu-web.de
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: LDZD Zadar
- Destination: LDZD
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.