Summary
- A United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER suffered significant damage after a tough landing in Houston, and pictures show the extent of the damage.
- The 32-year-old aircraft is one in all 37 767-300ERs in United Airlines’ fleet and is the oldest amongst them. The fleet is resulting from be retired by 2030 and replaced by the 787.
- The reason behind the hard landing remains to be under investigation by the NTSB. The aircraft stays grounded in Houston and isn’t scheduled for any future flights.
A Boeing 767-300ER belonging to United Airlines has suffered significant damage following a tough landing at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The aircraft was operating United Airlines flight UA702, which connects Houston with one other of the carrier’s major hubs at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
A tough landing in Houston
On Saturday, July twenty ninth, the 767-300ER touched down in Houston on runway 26L at 10:34 local time, just over three hours after leaving Newark. The aircraft then taxied to the stand without further incident.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
While there are not any reports of any injuries among the many 193 passengers and 11 crew members onboard, the damage sustained by the 767-300ER was substantial, including wrinkling and tearing within the fuselage. Pictures published on social media show the extent of the damage to the aircraft:
The aircraft in query is registered as N641UA, and had arrived into Newark within the afternoon of July twenty eighth as flight UA237 from Palma de Mallorca (PMI). Prior to that, it had operated one other transatlantic service to Berlin (BER) and back. Data from FlightRadar24.com shows that the aircraft remains to be on the bottom in Houston, three days after the incident.
United Airlines and the Boeing 767-300ER
The aircraft involved in Saturday’s incident was delivered latest to United Airlines in April 1991, making it over 32 years old. Actually, it’s the airline’s oldest 767-300ER. The aircraft is one in all 37 767-300ERs within the carrier’s fleet, seating a complete of 203 passengers in a three-class configuration – 149 in economy class, 24 in premium economy, and 30 in business class.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock
Along with its aging 777-200s, United Airlines’ 767-300ER fleet is resulting from be retired by 2030 and replaced by the 787. The carrier has 100 787s on order, including all three variants currently available – the 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10.
The response to the incident
The reason behind the hard landing isn’t yet known, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was made aware, and is reported by The Aviation Herald as stating,
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
When contacted by Easy Flying, United Airlines gave the next response:
“United flight 702 landed in Houston on Saturday, and all customers deplaned normally. We’re working with the NTSB and FAA and conducting our own investigation to grasp the main points of this landing.”
The carrier went on so as to add that the aircraft With such serious damage to a 32-year-old aircraft, it stays to be seen whether United Airlines will decide to repair or retire this 767-300ER.
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