- Date
- July 23, 2018, 15:31 local (19:31 UTC)
- Place
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 132 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N328NBAirbus A319
- Defining event
- Enroute-holding (IFR): Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 101461
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
An inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence.
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
On July 23, 2018, about 1531 eastern daylight time, Delta Air Lines flight 1488, an Airbus A319-114, N328NB, encountered turbulence while maneuvering in a holding pattern. Of the 5 crewmembers and 129 passengers onboard; one flight attendant received minor injuries and one passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Minneapolis International Airport (KMSP), Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Miami International Airport (KMIA), Miami, Florida. According to the flight crew, the flight was deviating for weather and was issued holding instructions. The crew noted that the weather was clear when they accepted the hold. During the hold, the airplane encountered moderate turbulence, and a flight attendant and one passenger sustained head injuries. The flight subsequently diverted to Southwest Florida International Airport, Fort Myers, Florida, where it landed uneventfully.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N328NB
- Reported as
- Airbus A319 (114)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1520
- Built
- 2001
- Engines
- CFM International CFM56-5-A5, turbo fanCFM International CFM56-5-A5, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- MSP · Minneapolis, MN
- Destination
- MIA · Miami, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- May 6, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 13,806 total · 11,912 in this make and model · 179 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 742 total · 742 in this make and model · 124 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 27.85 inHg
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 13, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
Other investigations on N328NB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.