Airbus A319 accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, July 23, 2018
On July 23, 2018 at about 7:31 pm local time, a 2001 Airbus A319, registered N328NB, was involved in an accident near West Palm Beach, Florida. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 132 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2018 · about 7:31 pm local time
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 132 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A319 114, built 2001 · all A319s on the register
- Registration
- N328NB · registry record · serial 1520
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 23, 2018, about 1531 eastern daylight time, Delta Air Lines flight 1488, an Airbus A319-114, N328NB, encountered turbulence while maneuvering in a holding pattern. Of the 5 crewmembers and 129 passengers onboard; one flight attendant received minor injuries and one passenger received serious injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Minneapolis International Airport (KMSP), Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Miami International Airport (KMIA), Miami, Florida. According to the flight crew, the flight was deviating for weather and was issued holding instructions. The crew noted that the weather was clear when they accepted the hold. During the hold, the airplane encountered moderate turbulence, and a flight attendant and one passenger sustained head injuries. The flight subsequently diverted to Southwest Florida International Airport, Fort Myers, Florida, where it landed uneventfully.
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
What happened, in order
- Enroute-holding (IFR) Turbulence encounter defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,806 hours in all; 11,912 in this make and model; 179 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 6, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 742 hours in all; 742 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 166,449 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm International CFM56-5-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm International CFM56-5-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 4:20 pm
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 27.85 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 2 | ||
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 128 |
Other NTSB records under N328NB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA18CA316.