Beech A36 accident near Somerville, New Jersey, July 16, 2006
On July 16, 2006 at about 4:15 am local time, a Beech A36, registered N5363P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Somerville, New Jersey (Somerset Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2006 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Somerville, New Jersey · Somerset Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N5363P · no longer on the register · serial E 980
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane approached the destination airport at night, the pilot cancelled his instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. On final approach, the pilot lost visual contact with the runway environment when the airplane entered a "dense ground fog bank" approximately 100 feet above ground level and 1/4 mile from the runway threshold. The pilot was "blinded" by the reflection of the airplane's landing light in the fog, initiated a go-around, but the airplane struck a tree and impacted terrain seconds later. The pilot stated that he obtained the current Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) report minutes prior to the accident, and the field was "within VFR parameters." The pilot was also aware of the possibility of ground fog. The meteorological aerodrome report (METAR) for the time of the accident included 1 mile visibility in fog, with vertical visibility of 100 feet. The METARs for the preceding 4 hours showed the visibility to be equal or less than 2 miles due to fog and mist.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,875 hours in all; 2,300 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,650 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520 BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHTO East Hampton NY at 2:45 am
- Destination: KSMQ Somerville NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 100 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.