Boeing 757-232 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 23, 1993
On February 23, 1993 at about 4:58 pm local time, a Boeing 757-232, registered N678DL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Ft Lauderdale Hollywood airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 191 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IMPROPER USE OF ELEVATOR FLIGHT CONTROL DURING THE LANDING BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1993 · about 4:58 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Ft Lauderdale Hollywood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 191 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-232 · all 757-232s on the register
- Registration
- N678DL · registry record · serial 25983
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMB TO CRUISE THE NO. 2 ENGINE FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE CRACKING OF THE 15TH STAGE STATOR VANES. DURING LANDING AT THE AIRPORT, UPON TOUCHDOWN THE DIGITAL FLIGHT DATA RECORDER RECORDED CONTROL COLUMN MOVEMENT FOREWARD. THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON THE NOSE GEAR HARD DAMAGING THE NOSE GEAR MOUNT AND THE FUSELAGE KEEL BEAM.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 17 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,258 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 23, 1993; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 250,000 lb
- Seats: 182
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: FLL at 4:30 pm
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:58 pm from FLL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 182 |
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.