Douglas MD-88 accident near Lexington, Kentucky, September 4, 1993
On September 4, 1993 at about 2:14 am local time, a Douglas MD-88, registered N913DL, was involved in an accident near Lexington, Kentucky (Blue Glass Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 105 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CABIN ATTENDANT DID NOT FOLLOW PUBLISHED PROCEDURES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 1993 · about 2:14 am local time
- Place
- Lexington, Kentucky · Blue Glass Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 105 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N913DL · no longer on the register · serial 49544
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A HARD LANDING, A CABIN ATTENDANT WAS STANDING IN THE AIRPLANE'S AISLE. WHEN THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, THE CABIN ATTENDANT'S ANKLE TWISTED WHICH RESULTED IN A BONE FRACTURE. REVIEW OF THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER REVEALED THAT THE CAPTAIN SIGNALED TO THE CABINCREW TO PREPARE FOR LANDING ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES AND 37 SECONDS PRIOR TO THE LANDING. THE INJURED CABIN ATTENDANT STATED THAT HE WAS OUT OF HIS JUMPSEAT PREPARING A GALLEY FOR LANDING WHEN HE REALIZED THE AIRPLANE WAS CLOSE TO THE GROUND. THE INJURED CABIN ATTENDANT STATED THAT HE WAS ON THE WAY TO HIS JUMPSEAT WHEN THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN. THE DIGITAL FLIGHT DATA RECORDER REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN AT 124 KNOTS INDICATED AIRSPEED WITH A VERTICAL VELOCITY OF 10.7 FEET PER SECOND. THE MAXIMUM VERTICAL ACCELERATION RECORDED AT TOUCH DOWN WAS 2.5 G'S. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT DAMAGED AND NO OTHER AIRPLANE OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,869 hours in all; 2,740 in this make and model; 184 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,686 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 3, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D219 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 7,002 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Observation at 2:08 am from LE, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 100 |
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.