Beech A36 accident near Chebanse, Illinois, July 5, 2019
On July 5, 2019 at about 6:41 pm local time, a 1981 Beech A36, registered N1809S, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Chebanse, Illinois (Greater Kankakee airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2019 · about 6:41 pm local time
- Place
- Chebanse, Illinois · Greater Kankakee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1981 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1809S · no longer on the register · serial E-1875
- 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, during a cross-country flight, while in cruise altitude at 3,000 ft mean sea level, the engine lost power. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a muddy wheat field. Examination at the site revealed that the left and right main fuel tanks were intact; the left tank was empty and the right tank contained about 25 gallons. The wing tip tanks were breached during the accident, but burns in the field were indicative of fuel being in the wing tip tanks at the time they were breached. The fuel selector was found in the left tank position. Further examination revealed that the fuel line from the fuel selector to the engine-driven fuel pump contained no fuel. A test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. Given the absence of fuel in the left tank, the position of the fuel selector at the accident site, and the engine's nominal performance during a postaccident test run, it is likely that the engine consumed all of the available fuel in the left fuel tank, which resulted in fuel starvation and a subsequent total loss of engine power.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,823 hours in all; 334 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 2,635 as pilot in command; 292 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 2, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,135 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 2019; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,780 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-520-BB(17) (piston); 2,454 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MQY Smyrna TN at 4:35 pm
- Destination: 1C5 Bolingbrook IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from IKK, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
25 documents, released by the NTSB on November 17, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.