Boeing 727-232 and Boeing 737-2H4 incident near Nashville, Tennessee, June 19, 1987
On June 19, 1987 at about 3:17 am local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 727-232 (N482DA) and Boeing 737-2H4 (N50SW), were involved in the same incident near Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville airport). No one was hurt; 161 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1987 · about 3:17 am local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · Nashville · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 161 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 727-232 · all 727-232s on the register
- Registration
- N482DA · no longer on the register · serial 20862
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Boeing 737-2H4 · all 737-2H4s on the register
- Registration
- N50SW · registry record · serial 21447
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-232 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 2211 CDT, DELTA FLT 314 (BOEING 727, N482DA) WAS CLRD TO TAXI TO RWY 31 WITH INFO INDIA. INFO INDIA INDCD RWY 31WAS ACTIVE. SOON THEREAFTER, SOUTHWEST FLT 715 (BOEING 737, N50SW) REQD & RECD TAXI CLNC TO RWY 13 FOR TKOF. TO ACCOMMO-DATE INCOMING TRAFFIC THAT HAD REQD RWY 13 FOR LNDG, FLT 715 (AT THE APCH END OF RWY 13) WAS CLRD FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF. INITIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (OF TKOF CLNC, RECD BY TWR) WAS GARBLED FLWD BY AN AUDIBLE '. . . 715.' THE TWR CTLR DID NOT REALIZE BOTH FLTS HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE TKOF CLNC, SINCE FLT 314 WAS STILL TAXIING TO RWY 31. BOTH FLTS STARTED DEPG FM OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE RWY. AT 1ST, NEITHER FLT CREW COULD SEE THE OTR DUE TO A CROWN IN THE RWY. WHEN THEY SAW EACH OTR, FLT 715 WAS APCHG V1 SPEED & ELECTED TO CONT THE TKOF. FLT 314 HAD JUST BGN ITS TKOF ROLL & ABORTED BY TURNING OFF ON A TWY. AN INV REVEALED THAT BFR DEPG, WHEN FLT 314 WAS APCHG RWY 31 FOR TKOF, THE 1ST OFFICER (F/O) THOUGHT HE HEARD CLNC FOR TKOF. THE CAPT OF FLT 314 ASKED THE F/O IF HE WAS SURE & THE F/O REPLIED 'YES' & SAID HE HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLNC.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 737-2H4 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 2211 CDT, DELTA FLT 314 (BOEING 727, N482DA) WAS CLRD TO TAXI TO RWY 31 WITH INFO INDIA. INFO INDIA INDCD RWY 31WAS ACTIVE. SOON THEREAFTER, SOUTHWEST FLT 715 (BOEING 737, N50SW) REQD & RECD TAXI CLNC TO RWY 13 FOR TKOF. TO ACCOMMO-DATE INCOMING TRAFFIC THAT HAD REQD RWY 13 FOR LNDG, FLT 715 (AT THE APCH END OF RWY 13) WAS CLRD FOR IMMEDIATE TKOF. INITIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (OF TKOF CLNC, RECD BY TWR) WAS GARBLED FLWD BY AN AUDIBLE '. . . 715.' THE TWR CTLR DID NOT REALIZE BOTH FLTS HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE TKOF CLNC, SINCE FLT 314 WAS STILL TAXIING TO RWY 31. BOTH FLTS STARTED DEPG FM OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE RWY. AT 1ST, NEITHER FLT CREW COULD SEE THE OTR DUE TO A CROWN IN THE RWY. WHEN THEY SAW EACH OTR, FLT 715 WAS APCHG V1 SPEED & ELECTED TO CONT THE TKOF. FLT 314 HAD JUST BGN ITS TKOF ROLL & ABORTED BY TURNING OFF ON A TWY. AN INV REVEALED THAT BFR DEPG, WHEN FLT 314 WAS APCHG RWY 31 FOR TKOF, THE 1ST OFFICER (F/O) THOUGHT HE HEARD CLNC FOR TKOF. THE CAPT OF FLT 314 ASKED THE F/O IF HE WAS SURE & THE F/O REPLIED 'YES' & SAID HE HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLNC.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record for the Boeing 727-232 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 191,500 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA at 3:17 am
- Destination: TYS Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 am from BNA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 42 |
The factual record for the Boeing 737-2H4 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 124
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA at 3:17 am
- Destination: MID Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 107 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N482DA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL87IA179.