Beech E18S accident near Martinsville, Ohio, August 20, 1991
On August 20, 1991 at about 10:40 am local time, a Beech E18S, registered N63B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Martinsville, Ohio (Wilmington airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A FAILURE OF ONE ENGINE FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE HEAVY GROSS WEIGHT RESULTED IN INADEQUATE SINGLE ENGINE PERFORMANCE, WHICH LEAD TO A FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1991 · about 10:40 am local time
- Place
- Martinsville, Ohio · Wilmington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech E18S · all E18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N63B · no longer on the register · serial BA-119
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF AT 600 FEET, THE RIGHT ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT SAID, '[THE] ALTITUDE DROPPED ABOUT 100' AND AIRSPEED AT 120 KNOTS. THE RIGHT ENGINE CAME BACK AGAIN . . . IT RAN FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS. [I] ADJUSTED POWER ON LEFT ENGINE . . . FEATHERED RIGHT PROP AND TRIED TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, BUT AIRSPEED KEPT DIMINISHING, SO I HAD TO DESCEND TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED.' THE PILOT PUT THE LANDING GEAR DOWN TO ABSORB THE SHOCK OF LANDING IN A FIELD. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED NO MALFUNCTIONS IN THE ENGINE OR CARBURETOR. THE AIRPLANE WAS WITHIN ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT AND CENTER OF GRAVITY LIMITS. THE WEATHER WAS: CEILING 600 FEET BROKEN, 1500 FEET OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 3 MILES, LIGHT RAIN AND 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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 1,320 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 2,635 as pilot in command; 538 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ILN Wilmington OH at 10:45 am
- Destination: RIC Richmond VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N63B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.