Lockheed L1011-385 incident near Boston, Massachusetts, September 20, 1992
On September 20, 1992 at about 11:53 pm local time, a Lockheed L1011-385, registered N786DL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Boston, Massachusetts. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 315 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE LUBRICATION WHICH CAUSED STRESS CORROSION CRACKING AND THE SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT WING NUMBER TWO FLAP VANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1992 · about 11:53 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 315 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L1011-385
- Registration
- N786DL · no longer on the register · serial 193A-1123
- 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 PILOT WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 4R, WHEN ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE GLIDE SLOPE WHEN HE FELT A VIBRATION. HE REPORTED THAT THE FLYING CHARACTERISTICS DEGRADED AND HE MADE THE NECESSARY CORRECTION SUCCESSFULLY. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS IN THE COCKPIT OF ANY FAILURE. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN 2 MINUTES LATER AND TAXIED TO THE GATE WITHOUT ANY FURTHER INCIDENCE. INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED SEPARATION OF THE NO. 2 FLAP VANE FROM THE RIGHT WING. FURTHER TESTING BY THE NTSB LAB REVEALED THE SEPARATION OCCURRED DUE TO STRESS CORROSION AND FATIGUE CRACKING THAT INITIATED AT THE LUG BORE.
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: 26,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,472 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 12, 1992; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 450,000 lb
- Seats: 315
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from BOS, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 302 |
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.