Boeing 757-232 incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 13, 1989
On September 13, 1989 at about 2:44 pm local time, a Boeing 757-232, registered N629DL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Ft Lauderdale airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF THE ELEVATOR CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1989 · about 2:44 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Ft Lauderdale · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-232 · all 757-232s on the register
- Registration
- N629DL · no longer on the register · serial 22919
- 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 FIRST OFFICER MADE A SKIPPED LANDING AND CONTINUED AFT PRESSURE ON THE CONTROL YOKE. AFTER THE AIRPLANE FLOATED, IT LANDED AGAIN, SPOILERS WERE DEPLOYED AND THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP. THIS RESULTED IN A TAIL STRIKE, AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE SKIN OF THE BELLY, ONE ANTENNA AND AN OVERBOARD VENT MAST.
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
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,250 hours in all; 2,240 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 12, 1989; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 223,800 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW-2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: BDL Bradley CT at 11:58 am
- Destination: FLL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 6,928 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:49 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 93 |
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.