Boeing 737-232 incident near Dfw Airport, Texas, January 7, 1992
On January 7, 1992 at about 7:32 pm local time, a Boeing 737-232, registered N322DL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dfw Airport, Texas (Dfw Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 49 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE AFT CONE BOLT AS RESULT OF PREEXISTING FATIGUE CRACKING DUE TO IMPROPER MAINTENANCE, AND THE FAILURE OF THE SECONDARY SUPPORT STRUCTURE AS A RESULT OF LOADS THAT EXCEEDED THE CAPACITY OF THE ATTACHING HARDWARE AND THE CRUSHABLE HONEYCOMB CORE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1992 · about 7:32 pm local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas · Dfw Airport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 49 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-232 · all 737-232s on the register
- Registration
- N322DL · no longer on the register · serial 23094
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT ENGINE SEPARATED FROM THE WING AS THE AIRPLANE WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 200 FEET AFTER TAKEOFF. FOLLOWING THE ENGINE SEPARATION, THE CREW CONTINUED THE CLIMB AND WERE VECTORED FOR AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ENGINE SEPARATION WAS THE RESULT OF THE FAILURE OF THE AFT CONE BOLT AND THE ENGINE SECONDARY SUPPORT ASSEMBLY. THE AFT CONE BOLT FAILED AS RESULT OF A PREEXISTING FATIGUE CRACK, WHILE THE ENGINE SECONDARY SUPPORT ASSEMBLY FAILED AS RESULT OF THE DYNAMIC LOADS THAT EXCEEDED THE DESIGNED CAPACITY OF THE MOUNTING BOLTS. THE TWO FORWARD CONE BOLTS FAILED IN OVERLOAD AS THE ENGINE SWUNG FORWARD DURING THE SEPARATION SEQUENCE. METALLURGICAL TESTING REVEALED THAT THE FATIGUE OF THE AFT CONE BOLT WAS A RESULT OF LUBRICANT INADVERTENTLY INTRODUCED INTO THE CONICAL SURFACE OF THE CONE BOLT.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 209 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 8,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,468 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 23, 1991; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 115,000 lb
- Seats: 130
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DFW at 7:31 pm
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 11,387 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; scat at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from DFW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 44 |
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.
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.