NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL87IA201
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THUNDERSTORMS AND LIGHTNING IN THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT PREVENTED ADDING FUEL TO THE ACFT AND RESULTED IN A DELAYED DEPARTURE. THE LOU VOR WAS OUT OF SERVICE, AND THE FLT WAS RADAR VECTORED UNTIL IT WAS CLEARED DIRECT TO LEX AND FOR THE APCH. AT THE TIME OF THE CLEARANCE THE FLT WAS 25 NM WNW OF THE DEST ARPT AND NORTH OF THE FLT PLAN ROUTE. BOTH APCH CONTROL AND TWR WERE CLOSED FOR THE NIGHT AT LEX. THE VOR AND ILS AT THE DEST ARPT WERE REPORTED TO BE OPERATIONAL. ANOTHER COMPANY AIRCRAFT LANDED AT LEX WHILE THIS FLT WAS EN ROUTE. ATC ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THIS ACFT WHEN IT WAS OBSERVED ON RADAR TO BE DESCENDING FROM THE ASSIGNED ALT PRIOR TO REACHING THEIR DEST. ATC REQUESTED THE ASSISTANCE OF ANOTHER ACFT'S CREW IN ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT THIS FLT BUT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. SHORTLY AFTER RECEIVING APCH CLEARANCE, THE CREW SPOTTED AN ARPT WITH RUNWAY LIGHTS ON, ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND LANDED. THEY WERE SEVENTEEN NM FROM THEIR SCHEDULED DEST. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1987_ATL87IA201.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
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