The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB FTW88LA155 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Helio H-250 accident near Tyler, Texas, August 26, 1988

On August 26, 1988 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Helio H-250, registered N444FF, was destroyed in an accident near Tyler, Texas. It was a personal 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 accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 26, 1988 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 1988
Place
Tyler, Texas
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Helio H-250 · all H-250s on the register
Registration
N444FF · no longer on the register · serial 2508
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

DURING FLIGHT, THE ENGINE STOPPED DEVELOPING POWER. THE FUEL WAS FEEDING FROM THE MAIN TANKS AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TRANSFER SOME FUEL FROM THE AUXILIARY TANKS TO THE MAINS BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GET A RESTART. DURING THE FORCED LANDING, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED A TELEPHONE POLE AND THE TERRAIN. INSPECTION REVEALED THE MAIN TANKS WERE EMPTY AND THE AUX TANKS CONTAINED FUEL.

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

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 3,750 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection; 10 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
  • Seats: 6
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: TYR Tyler TX at 11:00 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 235° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
  • Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW88LA155.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.