Boeing 767-232 incident near Los Angeles, California, August 29, 1991
On August 29, 1991 at about 8:17 pm local time, a Boeing 767-232, registered N115DA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 120 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FRACTURE OF THE NUMBER 1 HIGH PRESSURE TURBINE WHEEL DUE TO FATIGUE, FROM AN UNDETERMINED ORIGIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1991 · about 8:17 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 120 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-232 · all 767-232s on the register
- Registration
- N115DA · no longer on the register · serial 22227
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, A BOEING 767-232, EXPERIENCED AN UNCONTAINED FAILURE OF THE NUMBER 1 ENGINE HIGH PRESSURE TURBINE WHEEL. PORTIONS OF THE TURBINE DISK EXITED THE ENGINE CASE, PRODUCING A 4-INCH BY 16-INCH RUPTURE. PIECES OF THE DISK AND THE 2ND STAGE NOZZLE WERE FRAGMENTED AND PRODUCED SHRAPNEL LIKE PROJECTILES THAT PIERCED THE ENGINE CORE COWLING AND SURROUNDING ENGINE PYLON MOUNT. THE FIRST OFFICER, FLYING THE AIRPLANE, ABORTED AND THE TAKEOFF AND RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE GATE. EXAMINATION OF THE DISK DISCLOSED THAT IT FRACTURED DUE TO FATIGUE FROM AN UNDETERMINED ORIGIN.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,700 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,956 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 300,000 lb
- Seats: 204
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 12,091 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from LAX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 112 |
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.