Mcdonnell Douglas MD88 accident near Chicago, Illinois, August 27, 2019
On August 27, 2019, a 1978 Mcdonnell Douglas MD88, registered N911DL, was involved in an accident during approach near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 151 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with convective turbulence during descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2019
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 151 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD88 88, built 1978
- Registration
- N911DL · no longer on the register · serial 49542
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 26, 2019, about 2037 central daylight time, Delta Airlines as flight 805, a Boeing MD-88, N911DL, encountered turbulence during descent to the Chicago O'Hare International Airport (KORD), Chicago, Illinois. Of the 152 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant was seriously injured and there was no damage to the airplane. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (KATL), Atlanta, Georgia. According to the flight crew, during initial descent, they heard reports of moderate turbulence from preceding airplanes on arrival. The captain contacted the cabin crew and informed them of the upcoming moderate turbulence and instructed them to be seated. Shortly after, while deviating around an area of weather, the airplane encountered approximately 10 to 15 seconds of moderate turbulence. According to cabin crew statements, they had finished service and had stowed everything they needed to in the galley. The captain notified them that turbulence "was coming in three to five minutes." The aft flight attendant was returning to his jumpseat when the turbulence was encountered and was unable to maintain his balance and fell to the floor. After the turbulence had subsided the injured flight attendant was able to make it back to his jumpseat and immobilize his ankle. The flight attendants informed the flight crew of the injury and medical personnel met the airplane at the gate. A subsequent x-ray indicated the flight attendant sustained a fractured distal fibula.
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
- Turbulence encounter during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,748 hours in all; 1,949 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: August 8, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 819 hours in all; 819 in this make and model; 187 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 26, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 80,632 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, September 27, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 150,500 lb
- Seats: 157
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: KATL Atlanta GA at 11:37 pm
- Destination: KORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | |||
| Flight crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 147 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on May 4, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N911DL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.