Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 incident near Charleston, South Carolina, July 27, 1993
On July 27, 1993 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88, registered N948DL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Charleston, South Carolina (Charleston Int'L Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 105 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED DURING THE LANDING ATTEMPT WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AND THE SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1993 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina · Charleston Int'L Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 105 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N948DL · no longer on the register · serial 49879
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS CLEARED FOR A VISUAL APPROACH. WHEN THE FLIGHT REACHED THE VISUAL DESCENT POINT ON THE APPROACH, THE FLIGHT CREW TRANSITIONED TO THE VASI. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT THE AIRPLANE WAS STABILIZED ON THE APPROACH. AS THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE TOUCHDOWN POINT, THE FIRST OFFICER ADVISED THE PILOT OF A HIGHER THAN NORMAL SINK RATE; THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN HARD ON THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN SOONER THAN EXPECTED. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME REVEALED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE BETWEEN FUSELAGE STATIONS 1338 THROUGH 1351. THE DIGITAL FLIGHT DATA RECORDER READOUT FROM THE INCIDENT LANDING REVEALED WHEN COMPARED TO THE THREE PERVIOUS LANDINGS THAT THE NOSEUP STABILATOR TRIM WAS TWICE AS STEEP, TOUCHDOWN AIRSPEED WAS 8 TO 14 KNOTS LOWER, NOSEUP ELEVATOR DEFLECTION WAS TWO TO THREE TIMES LARGER, AND THE MAXIMUM PITCH ATTITUDE AT TOUCHDOWN WAS TWO TO FIVE TIMES HIGHER. ACCORDING TO THE MD-88 TAKEOFF AND LANDING BOOKLET, THE LANDING AIRSPEED FOR THE INCIDENT LANDING SHOULD HAVE BEEN 133 KNOTS.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 3,099 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,391 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 3, 1993; 147 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 128,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D219 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: CHS SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from CHS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 99 |
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.