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| Date: | Wednesday 8 July 1987 |
| Time: | 16:25 UTC |
| Type: |  Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 250 |
| Owner/operator: | Delta Air Lines |
| Registration: | N1739D |
| MSN: | 193C-1237 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 172 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | 1600 km W of Shannon, Ireland -
 Atlantic Ocean
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | LGW |
| CVG | |
| Investigating agency: | CASB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Delta Air Lines Flight 37, a Lockheed Tristar L-1011-250 operating a flight from London Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) to Cincinnati International Airport (CVG/KCVG), was flying at FL310 when it began deviating south of its track. The aircraft crossed paths with Continental Airlines Flight 25, a Boeing 747-200 (N608PE) flying from London to Newark maintaining the same altitude. The front half of the Lockheed Tristar passed beneath the rear section of the Boeing 747 with less than 100 feet of vertical separation.
Probable Cause: A navigation error resulting from an INS data input error led to the near collision. The error was not detected because the crew, who were relatively inexperienced with Atlantic crossings, did not perform adequate cross-checks of the INS. The company did not provide clear direction on the INS procedures to be followed. ATC did not query the error in the crew's estimated time of arrival over the next reporting point, nor was there a procedural requirement to do so at the time.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20041118223602if_/http://www.avsaf.org/reports/Canadian_reports/1987.07.08_DeltaAirlines_37&ContinentalAirlines_25.pdf
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jul-2025 09:30 | RandomInfinite | Added |
| 02-Jul-2025 09:31 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Accident report, ] |
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