British Aircraft Corp. (Bac) BAC-111-203 incident near Orlando, Florida, May 24, 1988
On May 24, 1988 at about 7:30 pm local time, a British Aircraft Corp. (Bac) BAC-111-203, registered N1544, suffered minor damage in an incident near Orlando, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 6 people had minor injuries; 55 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- May 24, 1988 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 6 people had minor injuries; 55 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- British Aircraft Corp. (Bac) BAC-111-203 BAC-111-20
- Registration
- N1544 · registry record · serial 018
- 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 FLT WAS DESCENDING THRU 13000 FT WHEN TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED. FOUR PASSENGERS AND TWO FLIGHT ATTENDENTS WERE INJURED. THE PASSENGERS WERE INJURED WHEN THEIR SEATBELTS' END FITTINGS DETACHED FROM THEIR SEATS' TIE-DOWN SHACKLES AND THE PASSENGERS STRUCK CABIN FURNISHINGS. TESTS DETERMINED THAT WHEN A SHACKLE'S ATTACHMENT BOLT WAS OVERTIGHTENED (AND THE SHACKLE WAS NOT FREE TO SELF-CENTER) A SEATBELT LOAD WOULD BEND THE KEEPER ON THE BELT'S END FITTING AND THE FITTING WOULD OPEN AND DETACH FROM THE SHACKLE.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 24, 1988; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 79,000 lb
- Seats: 72
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 506-14D (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Braniff, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IND Indianapolis IN
- Destination: MCO Orlando FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MCO, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 4 | 53 |
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 N1544 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.