- Date
- June 9, 2019, 15:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 184 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N75436Boeing 737
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Tailstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 99668
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the early initiation of the landing flare that resulted in a high pitch attitude and tailstrike.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
On June 9, 2019, about 1555 MDT, United Airlines flight 401, a B737-924ER, N75436, experienced a tailstrike during landing at Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado. There were no injuries to the 184 passengers and crew onboard. The airplane received substantial damage. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Reno International Airport (RNO), Reno, Nevada to DEN. The first officer (FO) was the pilot flying and the captain was the pilot monitoring. During short final, the FO noticed he was about 5 knots fast, and about 50 feet above the runway, started to slowly reduce power and start the landing flare. At touchdown the airplane bounced. The FO was about to advance throttles for a go-around, when the captain took control and continued the landing after a second bounce. During the post flight walk around, the flight crew observed that the lower aft fuselage had sustained damaged due to a tailstrike. Maintenance examination of the airplane found that the tailskid cartridge was compressed and there was substantial damage to the fuselage skin, frames, stringer clips and shear ties between fuselage station 827 to 907 and deformed stringers 27L and 27R.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75436
- Reported as
- Boeing 737 (924ER)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 33531
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 33,901
- Engines
- GE CFM56-7B, turbo fanGE CFM56-7B, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Air Lines Inc
- Registered owner
- United Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- May 31, 2019
- Departed
- KRNO · Reno, NV
- Destination
- KDEN · Denver, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DEN · Denver Intl, runway 16R, 16,000 × 200 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 12, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 15,041 total · 3,139 in this make and model · 5,089 as pilot in command · 174.6 in the last 90 days · 38.2 in the last 30 days · 4.2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 20, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 45 in this make and model · 2,450 as pilot in command · 45.4 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.45 inHg
- Observed at
- KDEN
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 MB in all.
