Beech BE-77 accident near Bloomington, Indiana, August 8, 2007
On August 8, 2007 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Beech BE-77, registered N1837Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomington, Indiana (Bloomington airport). 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 loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of 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
- August 8, 2007 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Indiana · Bloomington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE-77
- Registration
- N1837Y · no longer on the register · serial WA-309
- 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 during a forced landing to a cornfield after takeoff. The pilot reported that soon after takeoff from runway 17, he noticed the fuel gauge indicated less fuel on board than he expected. He attempted to return to the airport and land on runway 35. About 1/2 mile from runway 35, the engine lost power. The pilot made a "Mayday" report and attempted a forced landing to the grass field adjacent to the airport. He reported that he saw a large roll of hay in his line of flight, so he executed a forced landing to a cornfield and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank was empty and had blue stains around the drain. The right fuel tank had only a cup of fuel. Wing tank placards indicated the unusable fuel in each wing tank was .5 gallons. The electric fuel pump contained some residual fuel, but it was not full. No fuel was in the line between the carburetor and the fuel pump. The out line of the fuel pump contained a small amount of fuel. The carburetor bowl contained about 5 to 10 drops of fuel. No mechanical deficiencies were found that would have precluded normal engine operation. The pilot reported that he had flown the airplane about 10 days prior to the accident flight, and that he had calculated that there was about 2 hours of fuel remaining in the aircraft. He reported that on the day of the accident flight, he did not use a dipstick to check for the amount of fuel on board the airplane. He reported that he checked the fuel gauges and they indicated there was fuel on board. He reported that he was not sure if he had visually checked inside the fuel tanks.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 202 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMG Bloomington IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.