Lockheed L-1011-385 incident near Flushing, New York, April 23, 1992
On April 23, 1992 at about 6:43 pm local time, a Lockheed L-1011-385, registered N721DA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Flushing, New York (Laguardia International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 308 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CAPTAIN'S IMPROPER AIRCRAFT CONTROL WHICH RESULTED IN AN EXCESSIVE NOSEWHEEL RATE OF SINK AND SUBSEQUENT OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE NOSE GEAR TIRES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 1992 · about 6:43 pm local time
- Place
- Flushing, New York · Laguardia International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 308 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385
- Registration
- N721DA · no longer on the register · serial 1139
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD AND THAT THE TIRES 'BLEW' WHEN THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN. THE 'NORMAL SINK RATE' FOR THE NOSE WHEEL IS APPROXIMATELY 1 FOOT PER SECOND. THE CALCULATED RATE OF SINK FOR FLIGHT 702 WAS 14.66 FEET PER SECOND. POST INCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE TIRES REVEALED THE FAILURE WAS NOT BECAUSE OF HEAT FROM AN OVER OR UNDER INFLATION CONDITION. IT WAS CONCLUDED BY THE TIRE MANUFACTURER THAT THE TIRE FAILURE WAS 'MOST LIKELY' THE RESULT OF THE EXCESSIVE FORCES APPLIED DURING THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHDOWN.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 370,329 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-524 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PBI Palm Beach FL at 4:05 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 297 |
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 N721DA 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.