Beech 95-B55 accident near Harmon, Illinois, July 27, 2006
On July 27, 2006 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N127W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harmon, Illinois (Whiteside CO Arpt-Jos H Bittor airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The exhaustion of the fuel supply due to the pilot's failure to ensure an adequate suppy of fuel for the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 2006 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Harmon, Illinois · Whiteside CO Arpt-Jos H Bittor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N127W · no longer on the register · serial TC-1274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power on both engines. The pilot reported that the right engine lost power first followed by the left engine. The pilot reported that he began the flight with 70 gallons of fuel and that the fuel gauges indicated that fuel remained at the time the engine stopped producing power. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that no usable fuel remained in the airplane. Subsequent testing of the fuel gauges indicated the gauges functioned properly.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,785 hours in all; 1,286 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UGN Chicago/Waukega IL at 12:00 pm
- Destination: C73 Dixon IL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from SQI, 10 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.