Boeing 767-332 N182DN

Summary

On 31 March 2000 at about 01:25 local time, a Boeing 767-332 registered N182DN, operated by Delta Airlines, was involved in an incident near New York City, New York, United States. 225 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 March 2000 at 01:25

Classification

Incident

Location

New York City, New York, United States

Coordinates

38.8093, -77.4597

Aircraft

Boeing 767-332

Registration

N182DN

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Delta Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New York → Frankfurt

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

IAD00IA032

Nobody was injured.

The first officer's failure to maintain control of the airplane during climb out over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation. Factors in the incident were the cloud layer and dark night.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During climb out at night over water, the airplane was straight and level and heading towards an intersection. The first officer was hand flying the airplane and the auto-pilot was not engaged. While climbing through 6,500 feet, the airplane rolled to the right and reached a maximum of 65.5 degrees. The first officer used left aileron, followed by left rudder input and returned to level flight. The crew declared an emergency, dumped 20,000 pounds of fuel and landed uneventfully at the departure airport. The captain reported there were no traffic collision avoidance system alerts or engine indication and crew alerting system warnings. The captain reported there was a thin deck of clouds at 6,500 feet, and it was a dark night with no moon. The international relief pilot stated there was no discernable horizon, and the first officer stated there was no horizon, stars, or moon, and all he saw was darkness. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed there were no mechanical or computer related discrepancies. The digital flight data recorder data revealed the rolls to the right were initiated by control wheel input.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.