Lockheed L-1011-385-1 accident near Covington, Kentucky, June 27, 1997
On June 27, 1997 at about 3:50 am local time, a Lockheed L-1011-385-1, registered N723DA, was involved in an accident near Covington, Kentucky (Cincinnati Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 95 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the primary and secondary elevator driveshafts, and the failure of maintenance personnel to detect the failure of the primary shaft during scheduled inspections.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 1997 · about 3:50 am local time
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky · Cincinnati Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 95 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385-1 L-1011-385
- Registration
- N723DA · registry record · serial 193C-1150
- 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 flight attendant was in the elevator when it dropped to the galley level, and she received a fractured ankle. The elevator was operated by a drive shaft with two co-located shafts. The inner shaft was located inside the secondary shaft. Examination of the elevator lift mechanism revealed that the primary shaft had failed in rotating-bending fatigue. The secondary shaft failure originated from a fatigue crack in a sharp corner of the teeth. Corrosion was found on the surface of the crack. The shafts were inspected at 300-hour intervals, and had last been inspected 33 hours prior to the accident.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,300 hours in all; 2,109 in this make and model; 152 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 60,686 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 23, 1997; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 442,000 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-22B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVG
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 am from CVG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 10 | ||
| Passengers | 85 |
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.