Camair 480 accident near East Liberty, Ohio, March 8, 2007
On March 8, 2007 at about 4:14 pm local time, a Camair 480, registered N209, was destroyed in an accident near East Liberty, Ohio. 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 uncontrolled descent for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2007 · about 4:14 pm local time
- Place
- East Liberty, Ohio
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Camair 480 · all 480s on the register
- Registration
- N209 · no longer on the register · serial 1-055
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed and its pilot killed when in impacted into a farm field during an uncontrolled descent. Global positioning system receiver (GPS) data showed that during the last two minutes of the flight, the airplane began a climb to about 3,950 feet GPS altitude while slowing to a groundspeed of 32 mph. The average rate of climb during this approximately 1 minute long period was about 930 feet per minute and the aircraft course was about 310 degrees. The aircraft then rapidly descended until the end of the data. The average descent rate over this approximately 20-second period was about 7,700 feet per minute. The aircraft groundspeed during the last approximately 15 seconds of the flight varied from 27 mph to 68 mph. The aircraft heading during the last approximately 20 seconds of the flight oscillated rapidly left and right at a rate varying from 20 degrees per second to 60 degrees per second. The aircraft traveled approximately 500 feet west, at an average groundspeed of about 22 mph, during this time. No pre-impact anomalies were found with respect to the airplane, its engines, or systems.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,261 hours in all; 360 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,764 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 4,323 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 5E9 Radner OH at 3:20 pm
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from MNN, 14 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.
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.