Eagle Aircraft Co. Eagle DW-1 accident near Bryan, Ohio, July 18, 2008
On July 18, 2008 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Eagle Aircraft Co. Eagle DW-1, registered N8814L, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bryan, Ohio. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 improper fuel calculations. A contributing factor was the inaccurate fuel gauge.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2008 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bryan, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Aircraft Co. Eagle DW-1
- Registration
- N8814L · no longer on the register · serial DW-1-0087-82
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the agricultural spray airplane reported that the airplane's fuel gauge was stuck and it provided an inaccurate indication of the fuel remaining. He thought there was about 30 minutes of fuel remaining, but the engine lost power about 3 miles from the grass airstrip where he intended to land. He reported that the airplane experienced fuel exhaustion, and he executed a forced landing to a field. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it nosed over in a field. The inspection of the airplane in the field revealed no fuel in the fuel tank. No fuel was found in the hose from the electric fuel pump to the engine driven fuel pump.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel indication system › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hummel Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Bryan OH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N8814L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.