Lockheed L-1011-385 incident near San Francisco, California, August 23, 1988
On August 23, 1988 at about 7:31 am local time, a Lockheed L-1011-385, registered N1738D, was involved in an incident near San Francisco, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 39 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
- August 23, 1988 · about 7:31 am local time
- Place
- San Francisco, California · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 39 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385
- Registration
- N1738D · no longer on the register · serial 193C-1234
- 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 CRUISE FLIGHT, APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR AFTER DEPARTURE, THE CAPTAIN COMPLAINED OF POSSIBLE INDIGESTION. A FEW HOURS LATER, THE CAPTAIN COMPLAINED OF TINGLING IN HIS FINGERS AND NUMBNESS IN HIS SHOULDER. ANOTHER CAPTAIN WAS ON BOARD AND WAS ASKED TO SIT IN THE LEFT SEAT. THE FLIGHT WAS DIVERTED AND WAS LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ONE WEEK AFTER THE INCIDENT, THE CAPTAIN UNDERWENT CORONARY BY-PASS SURGERY.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 450,000 lb
- Seats: 400
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-9D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 15 | |||
| Passengers | 24 |
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.