Operator stated that he was trying to start his pwc. It would not start. After trying for a while it blew up, throwing him eight feet into the air. When he landed he hit the dock knocking his left shoulder out and injuring his lower back. He also had some small cuts on his knees.

When i went to his slip (#85) i found his pwc tied off inside the slip beside Operator's other boat. It was apparent that the pwc suffered an explosion. After further investigation i found that one of the two sparks plugs was blown out and the other one was loose. The smell of gas was strong as well.

It appears that when the spark plug blew out it sparked the gas fumes causing them to ignite. I found the blown plug in the bottom of the pwc. It showed damage on the threads from where it had been blown out.

SMITHVILLE                    