- Date
- September 19, 1990, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 94 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9044UBoeing 737-222
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900919041989I
- Case key
- 17853
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the flight crew to follow emergency procedures/directives. Factors were the failure of the aircraft electrical system (relays) and the failure of the company to provide a jetway operator.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Shortly after pushback it was noticed that the #2 eng door 2 right handle was not flush. The eng was shut down and ground maint personnel closed the door from the outside. The cabin then began to fill with dense smoke. The captain, using radio and an open window, was unsuccessful in getting a jetway to the airplane, and the crew and pax exited using slides. It was later determined that the battery buss relay (R1) and battery transfer relay (R2) had failed. The airplane had been pushed back at gate B-8, and had received clearance to gate B-20 for the evacuation. There was no jetway operator present, and ground personnel are not cross-trained to operate a jetway. When the #2 eng was shut down, the electrical transfer system picked up the load. The flightcrew did not power the right bus from the APU.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9044U
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-222
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19550
- Engine
- P&W, 14,000 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Airlines
- Destination
- ICT · Wichita, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DEN · Stapleton Intl
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 17,500 total · 1,119 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 123 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9044U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.