Amateur-built PAZMANY PL-2 accident near Reading, Pennsylvania, May 6, 2025
On May 6, 2025 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1977 amateur-built PAZMANY PL-2, registered N289RS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reading, Pennsylvania (Reading Rgnl/Carl A Spaatz Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper descent rate, resulting in a hard landing short of the runway and collapse of the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2025 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Reading, Pennsylvania · Reading Rgnl/Carl A Spaatz Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PAZMANY PL-2, built 1977
- Registration
- N289RS · registry record · serial 089
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he purchased the airplane earlier that day and completed a condition inspection that afternoon. The previous owner suggested performing a couple of touch-and-go landings and some air work in preparation for the planned flight to the airplane’s home base. The pilot stated that the takeoff, climb, crosswind, and downwind legs of the traffic pattern were normal. While on the base-to-final turn, the airplane was high, and when the pilot reduced engine power, it developed a high sink rate. He did not correct the sink rate with additional power, and the airplane landed short of the runway. It then bounced to the runway threshold, and the right main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further stated that since he had no prior flight experience with the airplane, additional flight planning and familiarization of the airplane’s flight characteristics prior to departure could have prevented the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- 551370 during descent - normal
- 551094 during descent - normal
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea, none, APLN, gyroplane, helicopter
- Flight time: 2,123 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1,917 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 9, 2025
- Medical certificate: basicmed
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 524 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 6, 2025; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320 (piston); 524 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 6,350 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 61°C, dew point 54°C
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from RDG
Weather report (METAR): KRDG 062154Z 23004KT 10SM FEW041 BKN070 OVC120 16/12 A2991 RMK AO2 RAE2055B14E48 SLP132 P0000 T01610117
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA25LA224.