Boeing 767-332 accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, January 26, 1988
On January 26, 1988 at about 4:20 am local time, a Boeing 767-332, registered N117DL, was involved in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 151 others were unhurt. 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 accident. 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
- January 26, 1988 · about 4:20 am local time
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 151 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-332 · all 767-332s on the register
- Registration
- N117DL · no longer on the register · serial 23276
- 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 CAPT RPTDLY ADVISED THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO SECURE THE CABIN AND BE SEATED DUE TO TURBULENCE EXPECTED DURING DESCENT. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER, THE AIRPLANE BRIEFLY ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE WHILE PASSING THROUGH ABOUT FL230. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT SUSTAINED A BROKEN ANKLE DURING THE ENCOUNTER.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 903 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,415 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 300,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PBI West Palm Beach FL
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| Passengers | 146 |
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.