Boeing 737-232 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, December 29, 1995
On December 29, 1995 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Boeing 737-232, registered N306DL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield International). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 58 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the tug driver, who was towing the Lockheed L-1011, to ensure that clearance was maintained from the Boeing 737, which was standing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1995 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 58 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-232 · all 737-232s on the register
- Registration
- N306DL · no longer on the register · serial 23078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As a tug driver was repositioning a Lockheed L-1011 from a maintenance facility to the passenger terminal, the right wing of the L-1011 collided with the right horizontal stabilizer of a standing Boeing 737-232. The tug driver stated he thought that he had ample clearance from the standing aircraft, when the collision occurred.
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: 15,500 hours in all; 8,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,989 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 22, 1995; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 115,500 lb
- Seats: 114
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines
The flight
- Departed from: ATL
- Destination: STL St Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:57 pm from ATL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 52 |
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.