Cessna T207 accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, June 27, 2014
On June 27, 2014 at about 4:19 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna T207, registered N207AB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis International airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, which resulted from the pilot's failure to monitor the fuel level and switch tanks in a timely fashion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2014 · about 4:19 pm local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · Indianapolis International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T207, built 1976 · all T207s on the register
- Registration
- N207AB · registry record · serial 20700342
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane took off for an aerial mapping flight fully fueled (80 gallons of total fuel, 76 gallons of which were usable). After about 3.9 hours of flight, he returned to the airport to land. When the airplane was 1.5 miles from the runway, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that he performed the engine failure checklist (restart procedure) items from memory but was unable to reestablish power. The airplane cleared the airport perimeter fence but impacted terrain short of the runway. During postaccident examination, no fuel was found in the left tank, fuel was found in the right tank, and the fuel selector was found positioned to the right tank. Other than the empty left tank, the examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or abnormality that would have precluded normal engine operation. Therefore, it is likely that the fuel selector was positioned to the left tank and that the engine lost power due to fuel starvation when this tank ran dry. The pilot likely switched the fuel selector to the right tank during his unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine.
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
- 508191 during 508
- 600440 during other
- 550470 during descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, AME, ASE, IAIR, APLN, none
- Flight time: 2,206 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2,142 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 13, 2012
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: type not recorded, June 24, 2014; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,803 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-520-G (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Surdex Corporation
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: IND Indianapolis IN at 1:45 pm
- Destination: IND Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 84°C, dew point 66°C
- Altimeter: 30.049999 inHg
- Observation at 4:38 pm from IND, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N207AB 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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CEN14LA327.