- Date
- August 25, 1987, 15:46 local (19:46 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 147 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N720DALockheed L-1011-385-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870825052189A
- Case key
- 7314
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was being flown manually for an ILS apch to rwy 8L at Atlanta. The apch was allowed to become unstable at about the middle marker and the vertical speed was increased to about 1290 feet per minute about five seconds before touchdown. The ioe capt in the left seat was told by the company ck amn that he needed to get his nose up. As the ioe capt initiated flare, the ck amn also applied nose up control inputs. The acft made three touchdowns and the aft fuselage contacted the rwy resulting in substantial damage. The ioe capt had completed his first class physical exam five days prior to the accident and underwent bypass surgery 17 days subsequent to the accident. In addition, he indicated that 3-4 years earlier he had experienced chest pains and shortness of breath which had been diagnosed as a hiatal hernia. The same symptoms had reappeared about one week prior to his beginning L-1011 ground school. The accd flt was being conducted on the second day of the capt,s ioe in the L-1011.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N720DA
- Reported as
- Lockheed L-1011-385-1 (L-1011-385)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 193C1136
- Airframe hours
- 35,281
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce RB-211-22, 41,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Airlines,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Delta Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 10, 1987 · 145 hours before
- Departed
- SJU · San Juan, PR
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATL · Atl. Hartsfield Intl. Apt, runway 8L, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,211 total · 13 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N720DA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.