NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL93FA028
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED OPERATION WITH KNOWN DEFICIENT EQUIPMENT, HIS IMPROPER DESCENT, AND HIS FAILURE TO PERFORM A MISSED APPROACH. A FACTOR WAS THE OPERATOR'S INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE OF THE PILOT'S PROCEDURES AND THE MAINTENANCE OF THE AIRPLANE.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT HAD STATED TO FRIENDS & OTHER COMPANY PILOTS THAT THE GLIDE SLOPE IN THE AIRPLANE WAS INOPERATIVE. THIS AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED REMOTELY FROM THE OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE OFFICES OF THE COMPANY. THE PILOT HAD REPORTED TO THE COMPANY, BY TELEPHONE, THAT THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY WITH THE GLIDE SLOPE. HE HAD NOT COMPLETED THE DISCREPANCY FORM CONTAINED IN THE COMPANY MANUAL. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THE GLIDE SLOPE REPAIRED. THE REMOTE MAINTENANCE FACILITY WAS OVERLOADED WITH WORK SO, THE PILOT ASKED HIS COMPANY TO INTERCEDE WITH THE AVIONICS SHOP CHIEF TO REPAIR N9321Q. SUBSEQUENTLY, NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE AIRPLANE & THE PILOT COMMENCED HIS NORMAL FLIGHT SCHEDULE. UPON RETURN TO THE ORIGINATION AIRPORT, AN ILS APPROACH WAS ATTEMPTED. ABOUT ONE MILE FROM THE RUNWAY THE ATC CONTROLLER OBTAINED CONFIRMATION FROM THE PILOT THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AT 1,300 FEET. THE PILOT WAS ASKED IF A MISSED APPROACH WOULD BE EXECUTED, TO WHICH HE RESPONDED NO. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT 1 MILE BEYOND THE RUNWAY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1992_ATL93FA028.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2011 · Conference Paper
Joint thunderstorm operations using the NASA F-106B and FAATC/AFWAL Convair 580 airplanes
During the 1985 thunderstorm season, three joint thunderstorm research flights were conducted within 100 n.mi. of NASA Langley by the NASA Storm Hazards F-106B and the FAA/USAF CV-580 research airplan…
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2004 · Accident report
In-Flight Separation of Vertical Stabilizer — American Airlines Flight 587
American Airlines 587 (A300-605R) Belle Harbor, NY, November 12, 2001 — 265 fatalities. Investigation of the post-takeoff in-flight breakup of American 587 over Belle Harbor.
- NASA NTRS 2024 · Presentation
American Airlines Flight 587 Crash Investigation: NASA Langley Research Center Participation and Perspective
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Other
Documentation for Three Wake Vortex Model Data Sets from Simulation of Flight 587 Wake Vortex Encounter Accident Case
This document contains a general description for data sets of a wake vortex system in a turbulent environment. The turbulence and thermal stratification of the environment are representative of the co…
- NASA NTRS 2016 · Conference Paper
An overview of SAE ARP 1587: Aircraft gas turbine engine monitoring system guide
A systematic approach to developing an engine monitoring system (EMS) is outlined. An extensive shopping list of EMS capabilities and benefits are included.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2020 · Conference paper
Under Pressure: Decision Making in Aircraft Maintenance and the Role of Gender
In aircraft maintenance, leaders are under near-constant pressure to maintain airworthiness. Every minute an aircraft cannot fly due to maintenance represents financial waste.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗