- Date
- October 19, 1996, 16:38 local (20:38 UTC)
- Place
- Flushing, NY
- Injuries
- 3 minor, 60 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N914DLMcDonnell Douglas MD-88
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19961019045609A
- Case key
- 39441
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 Safety Board's full report is available at www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. NTSB Report AAR-97/03.
the inability of the captain, because of his use of monovision contact lenses, to overcome his misperception of the airplane's position relative to the runway during the visual portion of the approach. This misperception occurred because of visual illusions produced by the approach over water in limited light conditions, the absence of visible ground features, the rain and fog, and the irregular spacing of the runway lights. Contributing to the accident was the lack of instantaneous vertical speed information available to the pilot not flying, and the incomplete guidance available to optometrists, aviation medical examiners, and pilots regarding the prescription of unapproved monovision contact lenses for use by pilots. (NTSB Report AAR-97/03)
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 Safety Board's full report is available at www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. NTSB Report AAR-97/03.
About 1638 eastern daylight time, on October 19, 1996, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, N914DL, operated by Delta Air Lines, Inc., as flight 554, struck the approach light structure and the end of the runway deck during the approach to land on runway 13 at the LaGuardia Airport (LGA), in Flushing, New York. Flight 554 was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121, as a scheduled, domestic passenger flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Flushing. The flight departed the William B. Hartsfield International Airport at Atlanta, Georgia, about 1441, with two flightcrew members, three flight attendants, and 58 passengers on board. Three passengers reported minor injuries; no injuries were reported by the remaining 60 occupants. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage, wings (including slats and flaps), main landing gear, and both engines. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the approach to runway 13; flight 554 was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan.
Factual narrative
The Safety Board's full report is available at www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. NTSB Report AAR-97/03.
About 1638 eastern daylight time, on October 19, 1996, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, N914DL, operated by Delta Air Lines, Inc., as flight 554, struck the approach light structure and the end of the runway deck during the approach to land on runway 13 at the LaGuardia Airport (LGA), in Flushing, New York. Flight 554 was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121, as a scheduled, domestic passenger flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Flushing. The flight departed the William B. Hartsfield International Airport at Atlanta, Georgia, about 1441, with two flightcrew members, three flight attendants, and 58 passengers on board. Three passengers reported minor injuries; no injuries were reported by the remaining 60 occupants. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage, wings (including slats and flaps), main landing gear, and both engines. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the approach to runway 13; flight 554 was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N914DL
- Reported as
- McDonnell Douglas MD-88
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 49545
- Airframe hours
- 24,420
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-219, 19,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 14, 1996 · 275 hours before
- Departed
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- LGA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LGA · Laguardia, runway 13, 7,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 48
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,024 total · 3,578 in this make and model · 5,801 as pilot in command · 223 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 0.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGA
Docket · 60
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 1997, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 33.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.