Boeing 737-232 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, March 10, 1988
On March 10, 1988 at about 2:25 am local time, a Boeing 737-232, registered N310DA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia (William B Hartsfield Intl). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 26 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
- March 10, 1988 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · William B Hartsfield Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 26 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-232 · all 737-232s on the register
- Registration
- N310DA · registry record · serial 23082
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,520 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 115,000 lb
- Seats: 130
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from ATL, 75 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 21 |
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.