Boeing 757-232 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, March 11, 2011
On March 11, 2011 at about 5:21 pm local time, a Boeing 757-232, registered N693DL, was involved in an incident during initial climb near Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 130 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The air traffic controllers’ failure to adhere to required radar identification procedures, which resulted in loss of separation between the departing Boeing 757 and three other airplanes. Contributing to the incident was the pilots’ inadequate preflight checks, which resulted in the airplane departing with an inoperative transponder.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2011 · about 5:21 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Atlanta
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 130 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-232 · all 757-232s on the register
- Registration
- N693DL · registry record · serial 29725
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Boeing 757-200 departed from Atlanta, Georgia, without its transponder activated, and the pilots did not contact air traffic controllers for about 8 minutes after departure. The airplane flew through one controller’s airspace and entered another controller’s airspace without coordination before radar and radio contact was established. While the incident airplane’s transponder was not activated, the airplane’s radar data tag (which contained identification, altitude, and airspeed information) did not automatically appear on the controllers’ radar displays as it normally would have. Consequently, the airplane was displayed only as an enhanced primary target with no identifying information. Although local procedures require that Atlanta tower controllers verify that departures have a radar data tag before transferring communications to departure controllers, the tower controllers did not do so. Review of primary radar data determined that a loss of lateral separation occurred between the incident airplane and the following three airplanes: 1) a Beechcraft 55 (closest proximity 1.44 miles); 2) a Pilatus PC-12 (closest proximity 0.81 miles), and 3) a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100 (closest proximity 2.36 miles).
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during takeoff
- Air traffic event during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incomplete action › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Flight crew
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › (general) › (general) › ATC personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incomplete action › ATC personnel
Pilot
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Medical certificate: Unknown
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 232,000 lb
- Seats: 178
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P & W PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P & W PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: KATL Atlanta GA at 5:21 pm
- Destination: KLGA New York GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27R, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from KATL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 4 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 124 |
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.