An effective endmembers based bilinear unmixing algorithm is prompted in the present paper together with an endmember subset selection algorithm as well. Firstly, the endmembers are ranked according to their distance to the mixed pixel, involving the Euclidean distance and spectral angle. And then, an effective subset of the endmembers is abstracted considering both the ranking result and the change of error. The algorithm reduces the influence of endmembers which are not component of the mixed pixel, decrease the number of endmembers involved in unmixing and improve the accuracy of abundance. The test results for simulation image prove that the algorithm would provide a lower reconstructing error. And the analysis results of actual airborne hyperspectral oil spill image further illustrate its effectiveness.