Beech A-36 accident near Amelia, Ohio, August 15, 1998
On August 15, 1998 at about 11:38 am local time, a Beech A-36, registered N8EM, was destroyed in an accident near Amelia, Ohio (Clermont County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's loss of control in flight due to spatial disorientation. A related factor was the fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1998 · about 11:38 am local time
- Place
- Amelia, Ohio · Clermont County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A-36 · all A-36s on the register
- Registration
- N8EM · registry record · serial E1439
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on an IFR flight in instrument meteorological conditions without receiving a weather briefing. Weather reported in the area of the destination airport was ceiling 300 feet overcast with 1 mile visibility in fog. The instrument approach was flown 1 mile south of, and parallel to, the destination runway. The pilot performed a left turn during the missed approach procedure, followed by a right turn after he requested vectors for a return flight to the departure airport. Examination of radar data revealed that after the airplane completed the right turn and rolled out on the assigned heading, the airplane re-entered a right turn and descended in a right-hand spiral. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Photographs taken at the scene immediately following the accident showed reduced visibility due to fog.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 621 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,638 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1998; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HAO Hamilton OH at 11:18 am
- Destination: I69 Batavia OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 3,705 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 am from LUK, 10 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 N8EM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number IAD98FA094.