Bell 206L incident near Indianapolis, Indiana, August 19, 1988
On August 19, 1988 at about 11:16 pm local time, a Bell 206L (helicopter), registered N295CK, was involved in an incident near Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis Intl airport). It was a business 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1988 · about 11:16 pm local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · Indianapolis Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L · all 206Ls on the register
- Registration
- N295CK · registry record · serial 45044
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,558 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 10,400 as pilot in command; 210 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,807 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1988; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Superior Training, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from IND, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.