Boeing 757-251 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, August 7, 2022
On August 7, 2022 at about 1:15 am local time, a 1996 Boeing 757-251, registered N540US, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Int). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 203 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The overpitch control of the airplane during landing resulting in a tail strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2022 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Int · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 203 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-251, built 1996 · all 757-251s on the register
- Registration
- N540US · registry record · serial 26487
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Delta Air Lines flight 1696 sustained a tailstrike while landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, GA. The flight was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) to ATL. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and there were no injuries to the 203 passengers and crew onboard. According to the flight crew, the captain was the pilot monitoring, and the first officer (FO) was the pilot flying. The captain reported that he was providing operational experience to the FO and that it was the FO’s first time landing the Boeing 757-200 model airplane. The airplane was in the landing configuration with flaps at 25 and on a stabilized approach at 1000 ft above ground level (AGL) on final approach to Runway 10 in night visual condition. After touchdown, the speed brakes deployed, and the FO reported that he applied too much aft pressure on the yoke causing the plane to lift back off the ground and the captain executed a “go-around” procedure. At this time the captain assumed the pilot flying role, and the airplane landed uneventfully. Both the captain and FO reported they had no indications of a tailstrike on the flight deck, they did not receive any passenger or flight attendant reports of any abnormalities and were unaware a tailstrike had occurred until the plane was inspected by maintenance later.
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
- Tailstrike during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,257 hours in all; 1,340 in this make and model; 174 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: August 16, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 203 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 15, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,812.6 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 3, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 241,000 lb
- Seats: 178
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P & W PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P & W PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines INC
The flight
- Departed from: KFLL Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway Runw, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 197 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on July 16, 2024. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Employee Statements - Captain | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Employee Statements - First Officer | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Cockpit Voice Recorder - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Flight Data Recorder - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 17 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Flight Data Recorder - Attachment 1 (Csv Data for Accident Flight - Compressed) | zip file | Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.