Amateur-built Pulsar I accident near Bardstown, Kentucky, December 3, 2003
On December 3, 2003 at about 10:15 pm local time, a amateur-built Pulsar I, registered N97JW, was destroyed in an accident near Bardstown, Kentucky (Samuels Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of aircraft control, resulting in a subsequent impact with terrain. A factor related to the accident was the pilot's unfamiliarity with the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2003 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bardstown, Kentucky · Samuels Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pulsar I
- Registration
- N97JW · registry record · serial 198
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had purchased the homebuilt airplane the day of the accident, and conducted a 1-hour "familiarization" flight with the pervious owner. After the "familiarization" flight, the previous owner departed the airport by car, and the pilot informed the airport manager that he was going to try and fly the airplane again. The pilot then contacted his wife by cell phone, and requested her to proceed to the airport to pick him up. Upon the arrival of the pilot's wife, she observed the airplane on fire in the grass area left of runway 02. There were no known witnesses to the accident. Examination of the airframe did not reveal any abnormalities. Examination of the engine revealed extensive post-crash fire damage, and further examination of it could not be performed due to it being seized.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 190 hours
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BRY Bardstown KY at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 5,003 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from SDF, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N97JW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.