Boeing 737-232 accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, November 11, 1987
On November 11, 1987, a Boeing 737-232, registered N315DL, was involved in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 65 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1987 · cases in 1987
- Place
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 65 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-232 · all 737-232s on the register
- Registration
- N315DL · registry record · serial 23087
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE DURING THE NIGHTTIME FLT, WHEN IT PASSED THROUGH CLOUDS MOMENTARILY AT FL225. A FLT ATTENDANT SUSTAINED A BROKEN ANKLE. THE CAPTAIN RPTD THAT RADAR GAVE NO INDICATION OF ANY WX AHEAD PRIOR TO THE ENCOUNTER. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT WAS TURNED ON ABOUT 15 SECONDS PRIOR TO ENTERING THE CLOUDS, WHEN THE FLT CREW FIRST OBSERVED THE CLOUDS.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- 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: 95
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA
- Destination: RDU Raleigh-Durham NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from RDU, 90 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 61 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N315DL on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Boeing 737 2,896 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Boeing 6,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W JT8D 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International · departed from
- Raleigh-Durham International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 305 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,122 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL88LA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.