Boeing 767-332 accident near Seattle, Washington, September 1, 2021
On September 1, 2021 at about 10:29 am local time, a 1997 Boeing 767-332, registered N196DN, was involved in an accident during standing near Seattle, Washington (Seattle-Tacoma Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 37 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flightcrew’s failure to set the hydraulic panel correctly during the execution of the pushback checklist, and when the hydraulic panel setting was corrected, that resulted in the airplane coming to a sudden stop and a flight attendant receiving a serious injury.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 2021 · about 10:29 am local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Seattle-Tacoma Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 37 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-332, built 1997 · all 767-332s on the register
- Registration
- N196DN · registry record · serial 28453
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Delta Air Lines flight 845 stopped abruptly during pushback at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle, Washington, resulting in a flight attendant falling and receiving a serious injury. According to the operator, the captain was the pilot-in-command and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. The airplane was pushed back to the gate with the push-tug after the event. According to the flight crew, as the first officer read through the pushback checklist, the configuration and status of the hydraulic panel was missed by both crew members. The airplane was pushed back by the push-tug, and the captain set the parking brake as the first officer was starting the left engine. As the tow bar was removed, the ground crew asked the flight crew to verify that the brakes were set, and the captain responded that brakes were set. Shortly thereafter, the ground crew and the first officer stated that the airplane was moving. The captain stated he then glanced at the brake pressure gauge and saw no pressure. Both crew members then noticed that the hydraulic panel was not set, and hydraulic pumps were not on. The captain immediately turned the hydraulic pumps on, while maintaining full brake pressure. As the brake system pressurized, the airplane abruptly stopped. The sudden stop caused several of the flight attendants in the cabin to fall. One flight attendant suffered a serious injury to her arm, and another suffered a minor injury.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during standing defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during standing (engine(s) operating)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Flight crew
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight crew
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Hydraulic power system › Hydraulic, main system › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,001 hours in all; 5,732 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 8,655 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 26, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,573 hours in all; 3,573 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 19, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 104,890 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 409,000 lb
- Seats: 330
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W 4060-3 (turbojet); 89,748 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W 4060-3 (turbojet); 110,632 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines INC
The flight
- Departed from: KSEA Seattle WA at 10:29 am
- Destination: KATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KSEA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Passengers | 31 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N196DN 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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DCA21LA229.