Weaver David A PULSAR 912XP N912GR

Summary

On 2 December 2017 at about 22:50 local time, a Weaver David A PULSAR 912XP registered N912GR was involved in an accident near Plato Center, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2017 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Plato Center, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Olson (LL53)

Coordinates

42.0078, -88.4569

Aircraft

Weaver David A PULSAR 912XP

Registration

N912GR

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrenceville → Plato Center

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

GAA18CA069

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to continue to land without visual reference to the airport in low light conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inability to activate the private airport’s pilot-controlled lighting system due to its configuration.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while making a straight-in approach to a private airport just after dusk, but before dark, he attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lighting (PCL) but was unsuccessful. He added that he continued toward the airport, and while maneuvering for landing, he lost sight of the airport. The pilot did not regain visual reference of the airport during the landing descent, and the airplane impacted a fence adjacent to the runway. 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 airport owner reported that the PCL antenna required line-of-sight with the aircraft to operate the PCL system. Due to the antenna's position and hangars on the airport, the antenna did not receive signals from the southeast, the direction from which the accident airplane was approaching. He added that, because the airport was private, he could not issue a NOTAM to describe the operation of the runway lights.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.