Cessna 150 accident near Bloomington, Illinois, July 3, 2009
On July 3, 2009 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N8319J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Bloomington, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The complete loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2009 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 G · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N8319J · no longer on the register · serial 150-66219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he checked the fuel level by looking at the fuel gauge prior to departure, and it read about 1/2 tank. Approximately one hour after departure, the pilot was beginning to make a descent to the destination airport. About 3 miles from the airport the engine lost power, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a road. During the approach to the road, the stall warning sounded as he tried to clear some trees. He lowered the nose and flew under the trees, but the left wing hit a tree and the airplane impacted the ground. An inspection of the airplane revealed that there was about 1.5 gallons of fuel remaining in the tanks. The Pilot Operating Handbook states that the unusable fuel capacity of the airplane was 3.5 gallons.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 343 hours in all; 211 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: C56 Monee IL at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Bloomington IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.