Boeing 757 incident near Providence, Rhode Island, March 22, 1988
On March 22, 1988 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Boeing 757, registered N628DL, was involved in an incident near Providence, Rhode Island. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 99 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
- March 22, 1988 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 99 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757 · all 757s on the register
- Registration
- N628DL · no longer on the register
- 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 BOEING 757 WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 20000 FT WITH THE FIRST OFFICER ON THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WHEN THE 55 YEAR OLD CAPTAIN BECAME INCAPACITATED. THE FIRST OFFICER DELCARED AN EMERGENCY AND MADE A NORMAL LANDING. WHEN CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS STOPPED AND THE CAPTAIN PLACED IN A WAITING AMBULANCE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE GATE AND THE PASSENGERS DEPLANED NORMALLY. IT WAS FOUND THE CAPTAIN HAD SUFFERED A FOCAL SEIZURE AND HAD A BRAIN TUMOR. THE CAPTAIN WAS DESCRIBED AS VERY HEAVY SMOKER WHO ALSO HAD LUNG CANCER. HE DIED 7 MONTHS AFTER THE INCAPACITATION.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,451 hours in all; 161 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,539 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 200,000 lb
- Seats: 205
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 1:20 pm
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| 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.