- Date
- August 6, 2022, 21:15 local (Aug 7, 2022, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA · runway 10
- Injuries
- 203 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N540USBoeing 757-251
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Tailstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- FAA AVP-100, Delta Air Lines, Delta ALPA Safety
- Case key
- 105714
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
The overpitch control of the airplane during landing resulting in a tail strike.
Findings · 3
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
Delta Air Lines flight 1696 sustained a tailstrike while landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, GA. The flight was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) to ATL. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and there were no injuries to the 203 passengers and crew onboard. According to the flight crew, the captain was the pilot monitoring, and the first officer (FO) was the pilot flying. The captain reported that he was providing operational experience to the FO and that it was the FO’s first time landing the Boeing 757-200 model airplane. The airplane was in the landing configuration with flaps at 25 and on a stabilized approach at 1000 ft above ground level (AGL) on final approach to Runway 10 in night visual condition. After touchdown, the speed brakes deployed, and the FO reported that he applied too much aft pressure on the yoke causing the plane to lift back off the ground and the captain executed a “go-around” procedure. At this time the captain assumed the pilot flying role, and the airplane landed uneventfully. Both the captain and FO reported they had no indications of a tailstrike on the flight deck, they did not receive any passenger or flight attendant reports of any abnormalities and were unaware a tailstrike had occurred until the plane was inspected by maintenance later.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N540US
- Reported as
- Boeing 757-251
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26487
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 7,812.58
- Engines
- P & W PW2037, 37,530 lbs thrust, turbo fanP & W PW2037, 37,530 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 3, 2022
- Departed
- KFLL · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KATL · Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International, runway Runway 10, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- August 16, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,257 total · 1,340 in this make and model · 174 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- July 15, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 203 total · 0 in this make and model · 10 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KATL
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 16, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.4 MB in all.