Amateur-built Pulsar accident near Alvarado, Texas, November 23, 2006
On November 23, 2006 at about 9:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Pulsar, registered N115SE, was destroyed in an accident near Alvarado, Texas (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper handling of the airplane while manuevering at a low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertant stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2006 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Alvarado, Texas · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pulsar
- Registration
- N115SE · registry record · serial 115
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 573.6-hour private pilot made several high-speed, low altitude passes over a private airstrip (aligned north and south) in his single-engine experimental airplane followed by "a rapid pull-up" to gain altitude. A witness reported that the pilot brought the airplane to a "near stall" attitude before he would lower the nose and level the wings. The witness did not observe the accident, but grew concerned when the airplane failed to return. A search of the area surrounding the airstrip revealed that the airplane came to rest in a stand of 40-foot-tall trees southeast of the private airstrip on a heading of approximately 360 degrees. Impact marks on the trees became progressively lower on the trunks of these trees and ended where the spinner collided with an oak tree, a total distance of approximately 22 feet. A portion of the tail section remained in the trees. Examination of the airplane and engine reveled there were no mechanical deficiencies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 573 hours in all; 118 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 383.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6XS2 Alvarado TX at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from FWS, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DFW07LA026.