Lockheed L-1011-385-3 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, May 26, 1997
On May 26, 1997, a Lockheed L-1011-385-3, registered N768DL, was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 223 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the flight attendants to maintain control of loose cabin service equipment, a salt shaker, that resulted in an uncorrected tripping hazard.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1997
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 223 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385-3 L-1011-385
- Registration
- N768DL · no longer on the register · serial 193H-1216
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise during the international flight, a flight attendant stepped on a salt shaker, breaking her left ankle and cutting her finger. She was in the first class galley at the time of the accident. The flight was at 35,000 feet, and there was no reported turbulence. First aid was administered by the second officer, followed by medical treatment at the destination.
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: 16,400 hours in all; 931 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 63,459 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 6, 1997; 239 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 442,000 lb
- Seats: 231
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB.211 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA
- Destination: AMS Amsterdam
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 002° at 13 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 12 | ||
| Passengers | 211 |
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.