Bell 206L-1 accident near Wallingford, Connecticut, October 16, 1988
On October 16, 1988 at about 5:20 am local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N555GC, was destroyed in an accident near Wallingford, Connecticut (Meriden Markham airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. 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
- October 16, 1988 · about 5:20 am local time
- Place
- Wallingford, Connecticut · Meriden Markham
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N555GC · registry record · serial 45317
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LOST POWER AND CRASHED IN A TRACTOR TRAILER PARKING LOT, DESTROYING THE HELICOPTER AND CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES TO THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED AN IMPROPER FUEL FLOW SWITCH, WHICH HAD NO CHECK VALVE PROTECTION INSTALLED ON SYSTEM NO 1. THE FAA CERTIFICATION BRANCH (ASW-170) STATED THAT IF THE WRONG FUEL FLOW SWITCH IS USED AND THE BOOST PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKERS ARE PULLED, A FLAMEOUT IS LIKELY. THE PILOT SAID HE PULLED THE MASTER CAUTION BREAKER AND MAY HAVE PULLED THE BOOST PUMP BREAKERS 'PREPARING FOR LANDING'. THE FUEL BOOST PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE PULLED AND THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 27 GAL OF FUEL REMAINING, WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,052 hours in all; 128 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 4,415 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,414 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 27, 1988; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wico Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N555GC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.