Delta Air Lines Flight 1086

Delta Air Lines Flight 1086
Flight 1086 as it came to rest on the seawall after breaking through the airport perimeter fence
Accident
DateMarch 5, 2015 (2015-03-05)
SummaryRunway excursion following loss of directional control due to pilot error
SiteLaGuardia Airport, New York City, United States
40°46′33.6″N 73°51′47.9″W / 40.776000°N 73.863306°W / 40.776000; -73.863306
Aircraft

N909DL, the MD-88 involved in the accident, photographed in January 2015, two months before the accident
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas MD-88
OperatorDelta Air Lines
IATA flight No.DL1086
ICAO flight No.DAL1086
Call signDELTA 1086
RegistrationN909DL
Flight originHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, United States
DestinationLaGuardia Airport, New York City, United States
Occupants132
Passengers127
Crew5
Fatalities0
Injuries29 (minor)
Survivors132

Delta Air Lines Flight 1086 was a scheduled Delta Air Lines domestic passenger flight between Atlanta and New York's LaGuardia Airport. On March 5, 2015, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft veered off the runway shortly after landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The plane ran up the seawall berm and struck the perimeter fence, sliding along it for approximately 940 feet (290 m) before coming to rest with the nose of the aircraft hanging over the berm above Flushing Bay. There were no fatalities, although 29 people suffered minor injuries. The aircraft was seriously damaged and written off.

The final report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's "inability to maintain directional control of the airplane due to his application of excessive reverse thrust, which degraded the effectiveness of the rudder in controlling the airplane's heading.":76