Douglas DC-9-51 and Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, August 5, 1988
On August 5, 1988 at about 9:55 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Douglas DC-9-51 (N421EA) and Douglas DC-9-51 (N1282L), were involved in the same incident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield). No one was hurt; 199 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- August 5, 1988 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 199 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft 1
- Douglas DC-9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N421EA · no longer on the register · serial 47689
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Douglas DC-9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N1282L · no longer on the register · serial 47378
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative for the Douglas DC-9-51 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE EASTERN DC-9 COLLIDED WITH THE DELTA DC-9 DURING TAXI. THE GROUND PERSONNEL HAD CLEARED THE EASTERN FLIGHT FORWARD AFTER THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED A POWERBACK WHICH LEFT THE AIRPLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE DELTA FLIGHT. DUE TO THE LONG FUSELAGE AND THE RELATIVE CLOSENESS, WHEN EASTERN STARTED TO TAXI FORWARD, THE VERTICAL FIN CONTACTED DELTA'S HORIZONTAL STABILATOR. THE WING WALKER WAS NOT ABLE TO GAIN THE ATTENTION OF THE GROUND GUIDE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE BEFORE THE COLLISION; NOR HAD THE GROUND GUIDE INSURED ADEQUATE CLEARANCE BEFORE DIRECTING EASTERN TO TAXI.
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 Douglas DC-9-51 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE EASTERN DC-9 COLLIDED WITH THE DELTA DC-9 DURING TAXI. GROUND PERSONNEL HAD CLEARED THE EASTERN FLIGHT FORWARD AFTER THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED A POWERBACK WHICH LEFT THE AIRPLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE DELTA FLIGHT. DUE TO THE LONG FUSELAGE AND THE RELATIVE CLOSENESS, WHEN EASTERN STARTED TO TAXI FORWARD, THE VERTICAL FIN CONTACTED DELTA'S HORIZONTAL STABILATOR. THE WING WALKER WAS NOT ABLE TO GAIN THE ATTENTION OF THE GROUND GUIDE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE BEFORE THE COLLISION; NOR HAD THE GROUND GUIDE INSURED ADEQUATE CLEARANCE BEFORE DIRECTING EASTERN TO TAXI.
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 Douglas DC-9-51 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: 9,403 hours in all; 7,560 in this make and model; 2,421 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 104
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 99 |
The factual record for the Douglas DC-9-51 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: 9,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 95
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 90 |
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 N421EA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.