Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 incident near Dfw Airport, Texas, August 15, 1992
On August 15, 1992, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88, registered N956DL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dfw Airport, Texas (Dfw International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 133 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO THE FRACTURE OF A FAN BLADE RESULTING FROM A MANUFACTURING DEFECT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1992
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas · Dfw International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 133 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N956DL · no longer on the register · serial 49887
- 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 TAKEOFF WAS ABORTED AS THE AIRPLANE WAS ACCELERATING THROUGH 90 KNOTS. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF ONE FAN BLADE IN THE FAN DISK DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT.
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: 12,432 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,840 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 8, 1992; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 140,000 lb
- Seats: 148
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-219 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 11,338 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 050° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from DFW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 127 |
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.