August 31, 1988

1988Matt Adams, American baseball player^[†]

Matthew James Adams is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Nicknamed "Big City" for his imposing size and ability to regularly hit long home runs, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Adams in the 23rd round of the 2009 MLB draft from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Colorado Rockies.

1988Trent Hodkinson, Australian rugby league player^[†]

Trent Hodkinson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a halfback in the NRL.

1988David Ospina, Colombian footballer^[†]

David Ospina Ramírez is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Categoría Primera A club Atlético Nacional, which he captains, and the Colombia national team.

1988Ember Moon, American wrestler^[†]

Adrienne Palmer is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She primarily appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the leader of the M.I.T stable and the current ROH Women's World Champion in her first reign; at 919 days, she is the longest-reigning champion in ROH history. She also makes appearances on the independent circuit.

1988Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashes during takeoff from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, killing 14.^[†]

Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, and Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah. On August 31, 1988, the flight, using a Boeing 727-200 series aircraft, crashed during takeoff at DFW, resulting in 14 deaths and 76 injuries among the 108 on board. The cause of the crash was that the crew failed to configure the airplane's flaps or slats for takeoff. The aircraft's take-off warning system (TOWS) also malfunctioned and failed to warn the crew of the problem. Recordings from the cockpit voice recorder revealed that the crew had improperly engaged in casual conversation on various matters unrelated to the operation of the flight, which may have distracted them from properly performing their duties. The recordings, which were broadcast repeatedly by the press, proved so embarrassing that a law was subsequently passed to prohibit the release of cockpit voice recordings. Since the passage of that law, only written transcripts have been released rather than the voice recordings themselves.

1988CAAC Flight 301 overshoots the runway at Kai Tak Airport and crashes into Kowloon Bay, killing seven people.^[†]

CAAC Flight 301, a Hawker Siddeley Trident operated by CAAC Guangzhou Regional Administration from Guangzhou Baiyun to Hong Kong Kai Tak, ran off the runway in Hong Kong on 31 August 1988 after clipping approach lights. Six crew members and one passenger perished in the accident. The crash shut down Kai Tak Airport for more than six hours after the accident.