Boeing 757-232 accident near Alma, Georgia, July 4, 1991
On July 4, 1991 at about 4:07 pm local time, a Boeing 757-232, registered N605DL, was involved in an accident near Alma, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 124 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
TURBULENCE IN CLOUDS, WHICH WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A DISSIPATING THUNDERSTORM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1991 · about 4:07 pm local time
- Place
- Alma, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 124 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-232 · all 757-232s on the register
- Registration
- N605DL · no longer on the register · serial 22812
- 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 PILOTS REPORTED THAT THEY WERE DEVIATING AROUND TWO THUNDERSTORM CELLS LOCATED 20 TO 25 MILES EAST OF THEIR POSITION. AS THEY CAME OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF A CIRRUS LAYER, THEY OBSERVED A DISSIPATING CUMULUS CLOUD IN THEIR FLIGHT PATH. THIS CLOUD WAS NOT OBSERVED ON THEIR WEATHER RADAR, AND AVOIDANCE WOULD HAVE REQUIRED AN ABRUPT, VIOLENT MANEUVER. THE FLIGHT CREW ACTIVATED THE SEAT BELT SIGN JUST PRIOR TO CLOUD PENETRATION. THE FLIGHT EXPERIENCED A TURBULENCE EPISODE OF ABOUT FOUR SECONDS IN DURATION. A FEMALE PASSENGER, WHO WAS ENTERING THE LAVATORY AT THE TIME CAUGHT HER FOOT IN THE LAVATORY DOOR, BREAKING HER ANKLE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,550 hours in all; 65 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 350,000 lb
- Seats: 178
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 3:08 pm
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:58 pm from VAD, 49 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 117 |
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.