Beech M35 accident near Avon, Illinois, August 25, 2003
On August 25, 2003 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Beech M35, registered N711DU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avon, 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 pilot's inadequate fuel managemant leading to fuel starvation during cruise flight and the unsuitable terrain she encountered during the forced landing. A factor was her lack of total time in the airplane make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2003 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Avon, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech M35 · all M35s on the register
- Registration
- N711DU · no longer on the register · serial D-6538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain during a forced landing to a cornfield following an in-flight loss of engine power. The pilot said that she departed with about three quarters of a tank of fuel. She reported, "Halfway [through] the flight I turned the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. The airplane started to lose power, so I put it back onto the right tank. The plane flew fine for more than 5 minutes and then started to loose power again, as well as altitude. I turned the fuel boost switch on and then off and this helped get about a hundred feet back. The airplane continued to lose altitude. The fuel gauge was indicating around 3/4 of a tank when I switched it." An examination revealed the fuel selector was on the right tank. The right fuel tank was examined and no fuel was observed. Fuel was observed in the remaining fuel tanks on the airplane. The aircraft's engine was started and ran from the fuel in another tank. The pilot reported two hours of total flight time in the accident airplane make and model.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,265 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 209 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 2,201 as pilot in command; 798 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 29, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,347.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2003; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-470C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS St Louis MO at 10:04 pm
- Destination: GBG Galesburg IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 11:05 pm from GBG, 18 miles away
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.
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.