- Date
- January 31, 2014, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 144 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N921DLMcdonnell Douglas MD 88
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 88755
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
Inattention by ground crew personnel which resulted in the airplane being substantially damaged.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Before departure and while the airplane was being de-iced by ground crew personnel, the de-icing bucket struck the left side of the fuselage and dislodged a passenger window. As a result, the airplane was substantially damaged and the pressure vessel was compromised. There were no reported injuries.
Factual narrative
Before departure and while the airplane was being de-iced by ground crew personnel, the de-icing bucket struck the left side of the fuselage and dislodged a passenger window. As a result, the airplane was substantially damaged and the pressure vessel was compromised. There were no reported injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N921DL
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD 88 (88)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 49645
- Built
- 1988
- Airframe hours
- 65,507
- Engines
- P&W JT8D, turbo fanP&W JT8D, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 3, 2014
- Departed
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- MIA · Miami, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATL · Hartsfield - Atlanta Intl
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- December 11, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 11,436 total · 6,952 in this make and model · 5,484 as pilot in command · 191 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KATL, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 2, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.5 MB in all.