article_snippet: Since Delta took ownership of the Delta plane on Dec. 30, 1987, The belly of the aircraft from the nose to the first passenger door and the nose itself had taken off and landed 54,865 times, investigators said.
article_snippet: Spread out over the past 28 years, that means the Delta plane flew an average of 5.5 flights a day.
article_snippet: MD-88 was a workhorse of U.S. domestic airlines for the past three decades, favored on short, frequent routes.
article_snippet: This particular one had logged more than 71,000 hours - or nearly 3,000 full days - in the air.
article_snippet: The flight from Atlanta was carrying 127 passengers at the time .
highlights_snippet: There were 127 passengers, including two children, on the National Transportation Safety Board at the time .