HOUSTON – The pilot of a United Airlines jet that slid off the runway at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in March told federal investigators that he did not “slow too much” initially upon landing.
WHAT HAPPENED? United Airlines has turbulent week of airplane incidents, including Houston, all with Boeing aircraft
A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday outlines preliminary findings that led up to the Boeing 737-8 jet sliding off the runway.
All of the 160 passengers and six crew members were unharmed during the incident on the morning of March 8.
NTSB issues its preliminary report for the ongoing safety investigation of the March 8 United Airlines B-737 runway excursion at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas: https://t.co/YbWpMoavuu
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) April 4, 2024
The plane skidding off the runway, also known as a runway excursion, caused major damage to the Boeing aircraft. NTSB investigators say the left main landing gear (MLG) was torn from the aircraft when it hit a concrete manhole in the grassy field, which is part of the planes design to prevent further damage.
Timeline Of Events
The incident happened at 7:58 a.m. on Runway 27 while the plane was landing after a flight from Memphis, Tennessee.
According to NTSB documents, the pilot requested this runway to “roll to the end of [the] runway” after previously being cleared to land on Runway 26L.
“That’s not unusual. That saves taxi time,” said Richard Levy, a retired airline captain with 40+ years of experience. “ When the weather is such that the clouds are a little bit low, not terribly low, and the runway is wet, I’m not sure you want to roll to the end of the runway. Now you can roll in the runway if the airplane is slowed down considerably.”
The runway condition assessment matrix, or RCAM, reported that the runway was slippery when wet and “braking deceleration is noticeably reduced for the wheel braking effort applied or directional control is noticeable reduced.”
Federal investigators noted the pilot recalled that the runway appeared to be dry. The First Officer says the runway looked to be wet.
- Plane slides off runway at Bush Airport; No injuries reported
The actual landing of the airplane was normal, according to the crew. NTSB investigators say the pilot did not “slow too much initially” because the runway appeared to be dry.
As a result, the pilot retracted the airplane’s speed brakes and disabled the autobrakes.
“He wanted to expedite their time on the runway and because he preferred decelerating gradually for passenger comfort,” the NTSB report says.
The pilot applied the brakes at what he recalls being 6,000 feet from the end of the runway. However, aircraft computer systems say the manual braking did not begin until the plane was about 4,000 feet from the end of the runway.
“The captain said he applied the brakes manually using the toe brakes at about 6,000 feet from the end of the runway but felt as if the deceleration was less than normal,” the NTSB report says.
The captain also says he heard the automated system warning him that there was only 1,000 feet of runway left.
“The NTSB report took excerpts from United’s flight operation manual, or their aircraft, operating manual, one of the two, that said when the runway is wet or and there’s a chance of or a chance of a wet runway, use maximum reverse thrust and other brakes of three, perhaps even maximum,” Levy said. “According to the NTSB, when they touched down they went to idle reverse. That’s reverse thrust, but minimal reverse thrust.”
Gage: “The pilot wasn’t following what United Airlines has in their protocol?”
Richard: “It seems, from what the NTSB reported, it is different from what you see on the United protocol. That is correct.”
The pilot told investigators he “became concerned” when hearing the warning for the end of the runway and started pressing harder on the brakes.
Nearing the end of the runway, the captain made a right turn onto a taxiway. That’s when he started pushing “aggressively on the brake pedals.”
“During the turn onto the taxiway, he felt the fuselage and rudder/brake pedals begin to shake violently. He briefly released the brake pressure and the shaking ceased. He then reapplied aggressive brake pressure and the shaking resumed,” reads the NTSB report.
The airplane then slid off of the runway. Federal investigators found that the left main landing gear and nose wheels went into the grass before coming to a stop, leaning to the left.
Review of the accident scene revealed that the left main landing gear fires hit a large concrete manhole. The left main landing gear then separated from the airplane “as designed to prevent more severe damage to surrounding structures.”
Data from the airplanes computer systems say the plane was travelling at approximately 44 miles per hour when the captain made the right turn off of the runway. The planes speed was 25 miles per hour when it left the paved surface.
“Oh, you want to be at 10 knots (11.5 mph) walking speed,” Levy said. “My maximum by feel, by experience is maybe ten knots.”
According to the NTSB, the left wing and the aft, or rear, of the fuselage were both substantially damaged.
Flight Crew
The captain of the airplane was a 61-year-old veteran, who has certifications on several Boeing aircraft models. In the Boeing 737, he had roughly 15,191 hours flown, with 9,607 of those being the pilot in command.
He was originally hired by United in 1987.
The First Officer was 38-years-old with 1,252 hours flown in a Boeing. He was hired in October 2019.
“These are good aviators or good pilots. I just read what the NTSB wrote about them,” Levy said. “There is a lot of experience. I’m convinced he’s a good aviator.”
What’s Next?
The damage to Runway 27 at Bush Intercontinental Airport has since been repaired and the runway reopened on March 12.
KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding asked United Airlines for information on the pilot, including whether they’re currently flying or if they have received additional training.
The airline provided the following statement:
“We are grateful to the first responders at the airport for helping our customers deplane safely, and we’ll continue to work with the NTSB and FAA on this investigation.”
As for the Boeing 737-8 airplane, data from FlightAware shows the aircraft has not been flown since the incident on March 8.