Running Head: Accident Report
Abstract
In this paper I will briefly explain the cause and the event that occurred on October 19, 1996. On
this day Delta flight 554 departed Hartsfield international airport in Atlanta Georgia around 2:40
pm with two flight crew members, three flight attendants, and 58 passengers on board. In this
paper I will also be using the swiss cheese model to determine the risk analysis and risk
management that was involved with the aircraft on this significant date.
Running Head: Accident Report
On October 19, 1996 Delta Flight 554 departed Hartsfield international airport in Atlanta
Georgia around 2:40 pm eastern time. Scheduled to land at LaGuardia Airport, in Flushing, New
York. This aircraft accident occurred during an approach landing as the aircraft struck a light
structure that was located at the end of the runway. Operating the aircraft was two flight crew
members, three flight attendants while being occupied by Fifty-eight passengers. Due to the
accident the aircraft sustained damage to the lower fuselage, wings, the main landing gear and
also both engines. Unlike other deadly aviation aircraft incidents, this accident On October 19,
1996 caused minor injuries to three passengers and there was no other reports of injury for the
other 60 that was aboard the aircraft. The flight was operating under an IFR flight plan and
before takeoff the pilots received a thorough preflight weather briefing and were to expect some
frontal activity in the New York area being aware of a bumpy flight and a possibility of difficult
approach at LaGuardia Airport. The good thing about Delta 554 accident is that it was not a
deadly accident and the NTSB was able to hear from the flight crew during post-accident
interviews. The captain handled the flying duties during the aircraft trip to LaGuardia and The
pilots stated that “As they approached LaGuardia, they observed large areas of precipitation on
the airplane’s weather radar and encountered light-to-moderate turbulence and strong winds
during the arrival to the New York area. According to flight and cabin crewmember statements,
the captain had previously briefed the flight attendant in charge that their descent in the New
York area might be bumpy. The flight attendants indicated that at the captain’s suggestion, they
prepared the cabin for landing and were seated in their jump seats earlier than usual during the
descent to land”. The pilots prepared the Passengers and flight attendants accordingly for landing
and that is great in the pilots decision making because none of the passengers suffered major
injuries or death. The pilots followed proper protocol during flight communicating effectively
Running Head: Accident Report
between towers and completing the descent and approach checklist as needed during the duration
of the flight. As delta flight 554 begin its landing approach being about 3 miles out from the
airport another airplane aborted takeoff causing a little confusion for the pilots but according to
ATC, you are required to mis approach with an aircraft within 2 miles of landing. As the the
pilots begin to approach the airport the lights at the airport became visible and they begin to
reduce power. According to post accident interviews, the captain stated that the approach seemed
normal until about 4 to 5 seconds before the initial impact, when all of a sudden, the aim point
shifted down into the lights. The first officer requested the captain to nose up but at the time it
was already to late. The airplane struck the approach light structure and the vertical edge of the
concrete runway deck, and then skidded approximately 2,700 feet down runway 13 on its lower
fuselage and nose landing gear before it came to a stop. The nose landing gear came to a stop on
the pavement, with the fuselage oriented on 345 degrees heading; the left wing extended towards
the runway centerline, and the right wing extended over the wet, grassy area next to the runway.
According to flight and cabin crewmember statements, after the airplane came to a stop, the
pilots began to assess the damage to the airplane and determine whether an emergency
evacuation was warranted, while the flight attendants picked up their interphone handsets and
awaited instructions. About 74 seconds after the airplane came to a stop the captain ordered the
emergency evacuation command after the smell of jet fumes entered the cabin. The captain and
first officer of Delta Flight 554 were both on a flight together in January, 1996 so the two had
some experience together. The captain of the flight was 48 years old with 10 years of experience
of civilian and military flight experience before he joined Delta Air Lines, including 3,320 total
flight hours in military aircraft. Inexperience was not the case for the captain and the cause of the
accident that occurred on October 19,1996. The captain had been off for three days before the
Running Head: Accident Report
Delta flight and had reported getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night. The first officer was 38
years old and had 6 years of military flight experience in the U.S. Air Force. The first officer had
been off duty for 3 days before the day of the accident; however, on October 16 and 17 he
underwent 2 days of recurrent simulator training. He reported that during the 3 days before the
accident, he received about 7½ hours of sleep each night, which he indicated was a normal
amount of sleep for him. The probable cause of this aviation incident reported by the National
Transportation Safety Board determines that this accident was the inability of the captain,
because of his use of monovision contact lenses, to overcome his misperception of the airplane's
position relative to the runway during the visual portion of the approach. This misperception
occurred because of visual illusions produced by the approach over water in limited light
conditions, the absence of visible ground features, the rain and fog, and the irregular spacing of
the runway lights. Contributing to the accident was the lack of instantaneous vertical speed
information available to the pilot not flying, and the aviation medical examiners, and pilots
regarding the prescription of unapproved monovision contact lenses for use by pilots. The area of
the swiss cheese model this accident falls under is preconditions for unsafe acts as the lack of
vertical speed information played a role in this accident.
Running Head: Accident Report
Reference
Event Summary. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Pages/Delta_Air_Lines_Flight_554_McDonnell_Doug
las_MD-88_at_LaGuardia_Airport_New_York_October_19_1996.aspx.
https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-33441574-dt-content-rid-
406125307_1/courses/AVIA400_001_201940/AVIA400_LUO_8WK_MASTER_Import
edContent_20180725113330/Delta_Flight_554%281%29.pdf
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