Overview
- The Republic RC‑3 Seabee lost power Sunday in central Phoenix and the pilot belly‑landed on 7th Street near Missouri Avenue, leaving all three aboard with only minor injuries.
- Pilot Mike Tragarz said the short flight had just departed the private Hangar Haciendas airstrip when the RPM spiked, smoke entered the cockpit, and the plane began losing power.
- He chose a clear stretch of roadway, cleared power lines, then dipped under an overhead sign before touching down with the gear up to avoid a worse outcome.
- The landing broke a water main and closed 7th Street for hours as crews secured the area and removed the aircraft, which was later towed back to the pilot’s hangar.
- Federal investigators with the FAA and NTSB have opened a probe into the power loss and have not yet identified a mechanical cause.