Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, August 5, 1988
On August 5, 1988 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-51, registered N775NC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta Hartsfield). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 84 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
- August 5, 1988 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Atlanta Hartsfield
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 84 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-51 DC9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N775NC · no longer on the register · serial 47785
- 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC
The flight
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 78 |
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.