Boeing 737-232 incident near Frankfort, Kentucky, July 7, 1987
On July 7, 1987 at about 4:58 am local time, a Boeing 737-232, registered N324DL, was involved in an incident near Frankfort, Kentucky (Capital City Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1987 · about 4:58 am local time
- Place
- Frankfort, Kentucky · Capital City Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-232 · all 737-232s on the register
- Registration
- N324DL · no longer on the register · serial 23069
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THUNDERSTORMS AND LIGHTNING IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT PREVENTED ADDING FUEL TO THE ACFT AND RESULTED IN A DELAYED DEPARTURE. THE LOU VOR WAS OUT OF SERVICE, AND THE FLT WAS RADAR VECTORED UNTIL IT WAS CLEARED DIRECT TO LEX AND FOR THE APCH. AT THE TIME OF THE CLEARANCE THE FLT WAS 25 NM WNW OF THE DEST ARPT AND NORTH OF THE FLT PLAN ROUTE. BOTH APCH CONTROL AND TWR WERE CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT AT LEX. THE VOR AND ILS AT THE DEST ARPT WERE REPORTED TO BE OPERATIONAL. ANOTHER COMPANY AIRCRAFT LANDED AT LEX WHILE THIS FLT WAS EN ROUTE. ATC ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THIS ACFT WHEN IT WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR TO BE DESCENDING FROM THE ASSIGNED ALT PRIOR TO REACHING THEIR DEST. ATC REQUESTED THE ASSISTANCE OF ANOTHER ACFT'S CREW IN ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT THIS FLT BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. SHORTLY AFTER RECEIVING APCH CLEARANCE, THE CREW SPOTTED AN ARPT WITH RUNWAY LIGHTS ON, ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND LANDED. THEY WERE SEVENTEEN NM FROM THEIR SCHEDULED DEST.
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 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,794 hours in all; 82 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 115,500 lb
- Seats: 107
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SDF Louisville KY at 4:40 am
- Destination: LEX Lexington KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 5,005 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from LEX, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 27 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.