What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 25, 2022 upon landing runway 26 at big Bear airport (L35) the pilot experienced left brake failure. The aircraft a pulsar Pulsar Xp experimental aircraft went off the north side of the runway and ultimately ran into a hangar with the left wing making first contact followed by the nose. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot sustained minor injuries. Nobody on the ground was injuried. The hangar sustained non-structural damage to one of its outer side walls.
The aircraft manufacture did not provide a checklist but he was able to provide the manufacture first flight approach test speed statement "when you turn onto final approach you should maintain 70 mph, or 15 mph above the stall speed you observed". The pilot said this aircraft model tends to have a nose wheel shimmy issue on landing rollout. The free castoring nose wheel has a nose dampening system built into the attaching mechanism. The technique he identified he used to eliminate the shimmy problem if it occurs is to lift the nose wheel off the ground and use aerodynamic braking as long as possible which usually gets the aircraft below the shimmying speed.
The aircraft sustained damage to the nose landing gear, a complete seperation of the engine mounting bracket from the fuselage, firewall damage from engine impact, left and rightwing rear attach point damage on fuselage, and both wings had rear attachment point separation which included the adjacent wing ribs.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 UPON LANDING RUNWAY 26 AT BIG BEAR AIRPORT (L35) THE PILOT EXPERIENCED LEFT BRAKE FAILURE. THE AIRCRAFT A PULSAR PULSAR XP EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT WENT OFF THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND ULTIMATELY RAN INTO A HANGAR WITH THE LEFT WING MAKING FIRST CONTACT FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. NOBODY ON THE GROUND WAS INJURIED. THE HANGAR SUSTAINED NON-STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO ONE OF ITS OUTER SIDE WALLS.
THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURE DID NOT PROVIDE A CHECKLIST BUT HE WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE THE MANUFACTURE FIRST FLIGHT APPROACH TEST SPEED STATEMENT "WHEN YOU TURN ONTO FINAL APPROACH YOU SHOULD MAINTAIN 70 MPH, OR 15 MPH ABOVE THE STALL SPEED YOU OBSERVED". THE PILOT SAID THIS AIRCRAFT MODEL TENDS TO HAVE A NOSE WHEEL SHIMMY ISSUE ON LANDING ROLLOUT. THE FREE CASTORING NOSE WHEEL HAS A NOSE DAMPENING SYSTEM BUILT INTO THE ATTACHING MECHANISM. THE TECHNIQUE HE IDENTIFIED HE USED TO ELIMINATE THE SHIMMY PROBLEM IF IT OCCURS IS TO LIFT THE NOSE WHEEL OFF THE GROUND AND USE AERODYNAMIC BRAKING AS LONG AS POSSIBLE WHICH USUALLY GETS THE AIRCRAFT BELOW THE SHIMMYING SPEED.
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR, A COMPLETE SEPERATION OF THE ENGINE MOUNTING BRACKET FROM THE FUSELAGE, FIREWALL DAMAGE FROM ENGINE IMPACT, LEFT AND RIGHTWING REAR ATTACH POINT DAMAGE ON FUSELAGE, AND BOTH WINGS HAD REAR ATTACHMENT POINT SEPARATION WHICH INCLUDED THE ADJACENT WING RIBS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.