Boeing 737-300 incident near Los Angeles, California, December 1, 1987
On December 1, 1987 at about 8:53 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N4571M, was involved in an incident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1987 · about 8:53 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4571M · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DELTA FLT 1605 LANDED ON RWY 25L. AFTER CROSSING RWY 25R, THE LOCAL CONTROLLER INSTRUCTED THE FLT TO CONTACT THE GND CONTROLLER. THE GROUND CONTROLLER INSTRUCTED THE FLT TO TURN WEST ON THE OUTER TAXIWAY. THE CAPT BECAME DISORIENTATED AND INADVERTENTLY REENTERED RWY 25R. HE IMMEDIATELY REALIZED HIS MISTAKE AND EXECUTED A 180 DEG TURN AND EXITED THE RWY. WHEN THE FLT ENTERED RWY 25R, UNITED AIRLINES FLT 14, A DC-10 HAD ALREADY BEGUN ITS TAKEOFF ROLL. THE CAPT ABOARD UAL FLT 14 ELECTED TO CONTINUE ITS TAKEOFF ROLL, ROTATED AND BEGAN ITS CLIMB. UAL FLT 14 CROSSED OVER DELTA FLT 1605 ABOUT 200 FT A.G.L. DELTA'S CAPT REPTD THAT DUE TO HEAVY CONSTRUCTION AT THE TERMINAL AREA HE BECAME DISORIENTATED EVEN THOUGH HE HAD FLOWN AT LAX FOR MANY YEARS. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE RWY 25R SIGN WAS NOT VISIBLE. INVESTIGATORS FOUND THAT THE SIGN HAD BEEN BLOWN OVER. THE FIRST OFFICER REPTD THAT WHILE THE CAPT WAS TAXIING THE ACFT HE WAS BUSY COMPLETING THE AFTER LNDG CHECKLIST.
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: 12,581 hours in all; 570 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 146
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM-56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 7:23 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25L, 11,096 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 82 |
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.