Amateur-built PULSAR SERIES III accident near Palmyra, Pennsylvania, May 3, 2018
On May 3, 2018 at about 7:56 pm local time, a 2002 amateur-built PULSAR SERIES III, registered N914BB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Palmyra, Pennsylvania (Reigle Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate approach speed, which resulted in a bounced landing and a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2018 · about 7:56 pm local time
- Place
- Palmyra, Pennsylvania · Reigle Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PULSAR SERIES III NO SERIES, built 2002
- Registration
- N914BB · registry record · serial P9802-0550
- 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, during the preflight inspection, he observed no discrepancies and noted that the oil level was "inside the lower bound of normal oil capacity." He reported that en route, the oil pressure "was in the 30s [pounds per square inch] and trending downward" but still within the normal engine oil pressure limits. He decided to divert to a nearby airport as a precaution. The pilot reported that, while maneuvering to the alternate airport, the engine instruments appeared normal. However, during left base for the runway, he observed "a few seconds of white smoke" coming from the engine over the left wing. He reduced power, added flaps, and noticed that the airplane's approach speed was too fast. He decided he would not attempt a go-around due to the smoke and shut the engine off "thinking of the possibility of an engine fire." Subsequently, the airplane bounced during the initial touchdown and landed near the runway's halfway point. The pilot applied brakes, but the airplane overran the runway into a dirt field, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Related operating info
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, military, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,413.5 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 7.8 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 790.2 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 771.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,325 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914UL (piston); 772 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N94 Carlisle PA at 6:57 pm
- Destination: N94 Carlisle PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 1,955 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from KMUI, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 GAA18CA258.