- Date
- June 16, 1989, 15:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Jacks Creek, TN
- Injuries
- 7 serious, 23 minor, 259 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N721DALockheed L1011-385-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890616016959A
- Case key
- 7897
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the passengers to remain seated with their seat belts fastened as the airplane encountered unforecast severe clear air turbulence.
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.
In flight encounter with weather
Weather condition - turbulence,clear airFactor
Weather forecast - inaccurateFactor
Seat belt - disregardedCause
Aircraft
- Registration
- N721DA
- Reported as
- Lockheed L1011-385-1 (L1011-385-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 193C-1139
- Airframe hours
- 40,459
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce RB211-22B, 40,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Delta Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
N721DARegistration cancelled Feb 20, 2013 · Lockheed L-1011-385-1Airframe modelLockheed L-1011-385-1Engine modelRolls-Royce RB-211-22 series
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 25,500 total · 2,800 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSL
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 N721DA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.