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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2018 · about 7:56 pm local time · cases in 2018
- Place
- Palmyra, Pennsylvania · Reigle Field · cases near this airport · 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 other cases naming the engine
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 7, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N914BB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 914UL 305 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Reigle Field · nearest airport
- Carlisle Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,194 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA18CA258.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.