Event Details


Title:Hard landing, Delta Air Lines, Inc., Douglas DC-9-32, N3329L, Louisville, Kentucky, September 8, 1970
Micro summary:This Douglas DC-9-32 bounced and landed hard, experiencing significant damage.
Event Time:1970-09-08 at 2114 EDT
File Name:1970-09-08-US.pdf
Publishing Agency:National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Publishing Country:USA
Report number:NTSB-AAR-1971-15
Pages:20
Site of event:156' short of RWY 29
Departure:Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Destination:Louisville International-Standiford Field Airport (Standiford Field), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Airplane Type(s):Douglas DC-9-32
Flight Phase:Landing
Registration(s):N3329L
Operator(s):Delta Air Lines
Type of flight:Revenue
Occupants:94
Fatalities:0
Serious Injuries:15
Minor/Non-Injured:79
Other Injuries:0
Executive Summary:At approximately 2114 eastern daylight time September 8, 1970, Delta Air Lines Flight 439, a Douglas Model DC-9-32, N3329L, touched down 156 feet short of Runway 29 at Standiford Field, Louisville. Kentucky, during a night landing visual approach. In the area of initial contact, the ground sloped upward toward the runway threshold at a measured 2°44' or an approximate 5 percent gradient.

The aircraft made firm contact on the maln gear, rolled 73 feet in the direction of the runway threshold and then became airborne. It touched down a second time on the runway, 262 feet beyond the runway threshold. From the point of second touchdown, ground marks continued approximately 4,457 feet to where the aircraft came to rest. The aircraft was substantially damaged by the initial ground contact but there was no fire.

The 89 passengers and five crewmembers on board deplaned safely: however, one stewardess and 14 passengers received minor injuries,

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot's misjudgment of altitude due to the absence of sufficient lights in the approach area, misleading information produced by deceptive sloping terrain, and that the pilot did not position the aircraft on the ILS glide slope while he was establishing the final approach profile.
Learning Keywords:Operations - Airport Markings or Lighting
Operations - Bounce
Operations - Evacuation
Operations - Runway Excursion
Consequence - Hull Loss

 




Accident Reports on DVD, Copyright © 2006 by Flight Simulation Systems, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.
 All referenced trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
www.fss.aero