Beech 23 accident near Meriden, Connecticut, May 29, 1988
On May 29, 1988 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Beech 23, registered N6042X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Meriden, Connecticut (Meriden Markham Muni. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- May 29, 1988 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Meriden, Connecticut · Meriden Markham Muni.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 23 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N6042X · registry record · serial M-2165
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BEECH 23 LOST POWER DURING A GO-AROUND. DURING AN OFF-AIRPORT LANDING, THE ACFT STRUCK A HOUSE. THE PRIVATE PILOT DIED THE FOLLOWING DAY OF INJURIES AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A LARGE FUEL SPILL AND ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL WAS FOUND. THE LEFT FUEL GAGE TRANSMITTER INDICATED A HIGHER QUANTITY OF FUEL THAN WAS ACTUALLY IN THE TANK ON LOW READINGS. THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN 6.2 HOURS ACCORDING TO THE HOBBS METER SINCE ITS LAST REFUELING. THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS ARE EQUIPPED WITH TABS TO ASSIST IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE TANKS. THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT IN THE TYPE OF AIRCRAFT FOR THE PRIVATE PILOT. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE PRIVATE PILOT CONDUCTED THE PRE-FLIGHT AND THEN THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR CAME TO THE AIRCRAFT WHICH DEPARTED A FEW MINUTES LATER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 601 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 425 as pilot in command; 282 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,103 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1988; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-AJ4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.