# Accident 19970621015239A: Beech 77, Cottage Grove, OR, June 21, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 21, 1997, 18:05 local time
- Place: Cottage Grove, OR
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.7100° N, 123.0295° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.7100&lon=-123.0295&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6630C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6630C-1999-04-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 77 (registry code 1153007, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-77) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 77
- Reported engine: LYC O235L2C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 1,132 total, 68 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA97FA148](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA97FA148) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970621015239A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4)WHILE ON A FLIGHT FROM CHICO, CALIFORNIA, TO EUGENE, OREGON, THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ABOUT 29 MILES SOUTH OF ITS DESTINATION. WITNESSES STATED THEY SAW THE AIRCRAFT TURNING TOWARD A MOWN HAY FIELD, WITH ITS ENGINE CUTTING OUT, WHEN IT ABRUPTLY DROPPED AND IMPACTED THE GROUND FROM ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT WING FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY AND ITS LEFT WING TANK CONTAINED ONLY A TRACE QUANTITY OF FUEL.  A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY ONE TO TWO TEASPOONS OF FUEL WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL SYSTEM.  BOTH WING TANKS WERE BREACHED; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO FUEL ODOR OR DISCOLORATION OF VEGETATION AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.  EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.  THE PILOT OVERFLEW AT LEAST FIVE SUITABLE AIRPORTS WITH FUEL FACILITIES ON HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA97FA148](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA97FA148), Jun 21, 1997: Beech 77 (N6630C), Cottage Grove, OR, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: Fuel exhaustion resulting from the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a forced landing approach, resulting in a stall. A related…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.