Gulfstream AA-5B accident near Bridgeport, Connecticut, February 16, 1988
On February 16, 1988 at about 4:51 pm local time, a Gulfstream AA-5B, registered N26834, was destroyed in an accident near Bridgeport, Connecticut (Sikorsky airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1988 · about 4:51 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, Connecticut · Sikorsky
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream AA-5B
- Registration
- N26834 · no longer on the register · serial AA5A0753
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A TOUCH AND GO LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR JUST PAST THE NUMBERS. FULL RIGHT AILERON AND LEFT RUDDER WAS USED FOR DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. DURING ROLLOUT, THE RIGHT WING CAME UP AND THE LEFT WING MADE CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE PILOT ADDED FULL POWER FOR GO AROUND. AFTER LIFTOFF AND A LEFT BANK, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN DESCENDING AND IMPACTED THE GROUND AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,271 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 1,239 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carney Aviation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,761 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.