Cessna 180 accident near Princeton, Minnesota, August 11, 2007
On August 11, 2007 at about 1:35 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2311C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Princeton, Minnesota (Princeton Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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. A factor was the fuel siphoning from the right fuel tank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2007 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Princeton, Minnesota · Princeton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2311C · registry record · serial 30611
- 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 field after the loss of engine power during cruise. The pilot reported that he had stopped at an en route airport to refuel prior to continuing to his final destination airport. He had the lineman at the fixed base operator add 7 gallons of fuel to each wing tank for a total of 14 gallons. The pilot reported that the lineman placed the fueling ladder on his truck and the pilot went in to pay the bill. The pilot did not check the tanks or the fuel caps after the lineman had added the fuel. The pilot reported that he departed and approximately 1:05 hours of flight later, the airplane's engine stopped running. He reported the fuel indicators showed empty on the left tank, but 1/2 or better on the right tank. The fuel selector was in the BOTH position. He executed a forced landing to a soybean field, but the field was too short and the airplane became airborne again before landing hard in a field. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the right fuel door was open and the filler cap was off and dangling by the chain attached to the filler neck. A fuel stain was observed that went from the filler neck to the trailing edge of the right flap. The left and right fuel tanks were empty.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,500 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 235 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LSE La Crosse WI
- Destination: PNM Princeton MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.