Indus Aviation INC T-211 THORPEDO incident near La Porte, Indiana, September 18, 2008
On September 18, 2008 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Indus Aviation INC T-211 THORPEDO, registered N107JF, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near La Porte, Indiana (La Porte Municipal Airport). It was a positioning 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
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of siphoning from the fuel filler neck and cap. Contributing to the incident were the fuel over-servicing which resulted in the siphoning condition, and the ASTM standards which allowed for the fuel tank filler neck/vent design.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2008 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- La Porte, Indiana · La Porte Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Indus Aviation INC T-211 THORPEDO · all T-211 THORPEDOs on the register
- Registration
- N107JF · registry record · serial 0705D0303
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The light sport airplane landed at an airport for a fuel stop during a positioning flight. According to the pilot, the airplane departed on the remainder of the positioning flight and "42 [minutes] into [the] flight at [4,500 feet] the engine stopped." The pilot performed a successful forced landing to a soybean field, with no injuries or damage to the aircraft. A postincident inspection of the airplane showed that the fuel gauge indicated 16 gallons of fuel, yet there was no fuel in the fuel tank. It was later discovered that the airplane had been over-serviced with fuel contrary to a service notification warning that a siphoning condition could occur as a result of over-servicing. Following the investigation the manufacturer modified the fuel filler neck and fuel cap and subsequently issued a service bulletin informing owners of the modification. The airplane was certified to ASTM consensus standards that allowed for the airplane's fuel filler neck design.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Aircraft servicing event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Incorrect service/maintenance
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Design
- Organizational issues › Development › Selection/certification/testin › Equip certification/testing › FAA/Regulator
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 48 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,270 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 3300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Aircraft Sales LLC
The flight
- Departed from: IRS Kirsh MI at 4:00 pm
- Destination: HIB Hibbing MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from VPZ, 14 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI08IA294.