38.8951° N, 77.0364° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Washington, DC, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
April 21, 1993 · 17:51 local
Place
Washington, DC
Airport
Dulles International
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
AALA
Aircraft
N474AA
Reported as
Doug DC9
People aboard
129
Fatal injuries
0
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot reported lightning strike on descent. Landed safely. Found static discharer missing from left elevator.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT REPORTED LIGHTNING STRIKE ON DESCENT. LANDED SAFELY. FOUND STATIC DISCHARER MISSING FROM LEFT ELEVATOR.