What happened
On August 1, 2008, at 1333 UTC, a Piper PA-44-180 Seminole, registered D-GZXB, crashed into the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Zadar, Croatia. The aircraft was conducting a local-area training mission when it failed to return to Zadar Airport (LDZD). Following the report that the aircraft was missing, wreckage was located approximately 30 kilometers west of Zadar, southwest of the island of Mezanj. The two pilots on board sustained 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
The investigation was initially managed by the Croatian Civil Aviation Authority (CAACRO). On April 4, 2009, the Croatian Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Communications delegated the investigation to the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) in accordance with ICAO Annex 13.