Beech E18S accident near Marion, Illinois, May 11, 1984
On May 11, 1984 at about 10:30 am local time, a Beech E18S, registered N561S, was destroyed in an accident near Marion, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1984 · about 10:30 am local time
- Place
- Marion, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E18S · all E18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N561S · registry record · serial BA-46
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RWY 29 AT WILLIAMSON COUNTY AIRPORT. THE PLT STATED THAT SHE MISMANAGED THE FUEL SYSTEM & THAT SHE 'PROBABLY TOOKOFF ON FUMES.' SHE FURTHER STATED THAT SHE SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE COMPANY 'I'M TO TIRED TO MAKE THIS FLT.'
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 9,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWA Marion IL
- Destination: CGI Cape Girardeau MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:48 am from MDH, 20 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.