Mcdonnell Douglas Aircraft CO MD-88 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, July 18, 2010
On July 18, 2010 at about 2:26 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas Aircraft CO MD-88, registered N990DL, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 111 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The cause of the right wing landing light switch fire is undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2010 · about 2:26 am local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int · cases near this airport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 111 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Aircraft CO MD-88 · all MD-88s on the register
- Registration
- N990DL · registry record · serial 53342
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The MD-88 declared an emergency and returned to the departure airport after the crew smelled an electrical odor during the climb to cruise. After landing the crew observed small flames emanating from the Captain’s side of the glareshield. A maintenance inspection revealed that the right wing landing light switch displayed evidence of severe heat damage and no other source for the fire could be identified. No anomalies with respect to switch installation were noted by the personnel who removed the switch. The “Right Wing Landing Light” (B1-15) and “Right Wing Landing Light Control” (B1-16) circuit breakers were also found to be open following the event. A Systems Group was formed and the Group examined the switch at the Eaton facility in Milwaukee, WI. The switch was severely fire damaged with the greatest amount of thermal damage and contact degradation occurring at the B1 contact. The cause of the switch fire could not be determined.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › (general) › Not specified other cases naming the electrical power
The aircraft
- Seats: 142
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P & W JT8D SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P & W JT8D SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Delta Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 2:10 am
- Destination: BDL Hartford CT
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 106 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 21, 2011. 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 | Systems 9 - Factual Report of Group Chairman with 8 Pictures | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N990DL on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mcdonnell Douglas Aircraft Co MD-88 10 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: P & W JT8D SERIES 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: P & W JT8D SERIES 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International · nearest airport
- Bradley International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,807 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ENG10IA041.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.