Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 incident near Pensacola, Florida, August 1, 1988
On August 1, 1988 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88, registered N924DL, was involved in an incident near Pensacola, Florida (Pensacola Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 93 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 1, 1988 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · Pensacola Regional · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 93 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N924DL · no longer on the register · serial 49711
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT HE CROSSED THE FINAL APPROACH FIX AT 3000 FEET, CONTINUED THE APPROACH, TOUCHED DOWN AT 140 KNOTS AT THE END OF THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE, BUT COULD NOT STOP THE ACFT AND RAN OFF THE END OF RUNWAY 16. ACCORDING TO TOWER PERSONNEL AND WITNESSES THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY 7-25 INTERSECTION WITH APRX 3000 FEET OF RUNWAY REMAINING AND RAN OFF THE END OF RUNWAY 16. ACCORDING TO THE LANDING CARD THE APPROACH VREF SPEED WAS 128 KNOTS.
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: 11,000 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 29 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 27, 1988; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 140,000 lb
- Seats: 144
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-219 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 12:21 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 7,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 036° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:16 pm from PNS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 88 |
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 N924DL 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.