Boeing 767-332 incident near New York City, New York, March 31, 2000
On March 31, 2000 at about 1:25 am local time, a Boeing 767-332, registered N182DN, was involved in an incident near New York City, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 225 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The first officer's failure to maintain control of the airplane during climb out over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation. Factors in the incident were the cloud layer and dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2000 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- New York City, New York · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 225 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-332 · all 767-332s on the register
- Registration
- N182DN · no longer on the register · serial 25987
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During climb out at night over water, the airplane was straight and level and heading towards an intersection. The first officer was hand flying the airplane and the auto-pilot was not engaged. While climbing through 6,500 feet, the airplane rolled to the right and reached a maximum of 65.5 degrees. The first officer used left aileron, followed by left rudder input and returned to level flight. The crew declared an emergency, dumped 20,000 pounds of fuel and landed uneventfully at the departure airport. The captain reported there were no traffic collision avoidance system alerts or engine indication and crew alerting system warnings. The captain reported there was a thin deck of clouds at 6,500 feet, and it was a dark night with no moon. The international relief pilot stated there was no discernable horizon, and the first officer stated there was no horizon, stars, or moon, and all he saw was darkness. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed there were no mechanical or computer related discrepancies. The digital flight data recorder data revealed the rolls to the right were initiated by control wheel input.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,500 hours in all; 637 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,514 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 29, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 407,000 lb
- Seats: 235
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 4060 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY at 1:10 am
- Destination: FRA Frankfurt
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from JFK, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 212 |
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 N182DN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.