Boeing 757 — Newark, NJ, USA, 2019-06-15

NTSB summary

On June 15, 2019, about 12:55 eastern daylight time (EDT), United Airlines flight 627, a Boeing 757-224, N26123, experienced a hard landing at Newark International Airport (KEWR), Newark, New Jersey. There were no injuries to the 172 passengers and crew onboard, and the airplane received substantial damage. The flight was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Denver International Airport (KDEN), Denver, Colorado. The first officer (FO) was the pilot flying, and the captain was pilot monitoring. The takeoff, cruise, and decent were normal. The captain stated that it was an Initial Operating Experience (IOE) flight for the first officer. The auto speed brake system on the airplane was deferred in accordance with the Minimum Equipment List, and had been briefed, and all checklists had been completed. The captain stated that the FO flew a “solid” approach profile with few minor airspeed deviations, all of which were corrected immediately. The crew stated that during the descent to runway 22L the wind became gusty (220 degrees at 14 kts, gusting to 22 kts), and they increased the VREF speed in accordance with company procedures. At 500 feet, the airplane was on profile, on speed and stable. According to the crew the initial touchdown was smooth, on centerline, and in the touchdown zone. Upon touchdown on the main wheels, the captain manually deployed the speed brakes and the nose pitched up. To avoid a tailstrike, the captain said she physically blocked the yoke from moving back and instructed the FO to pitch forward. The airplane then bounced on the runway. The airplane was equipped with a L-3/Fairchild FA2100 Flight Data Recorder (FDR). FDR data showed that at 12:54:54 EDT, the airplane was on final approach to runway 22L with the autopilot off, glideslope mode engaged, and both flight directors on. At 12:55:14 EDT, with a pitch angle of 2.8 degrees, and the speed brake handle in the down (unarmed) position, the main landing gear (MLG) weight-on-wheels (WOW) parameter changed to GROUND. At 12:55:16 variations in the vertical acceleration, pitch, elevator, and control column parameters increased in magnitude. At 12:55:17, MLG WOW parameter changed back to AIR for one second, then back to GROUND for one second, then back to AIR for one second, before finally cycling back to GROUND. At 12:55:20 the nose gear WOW indicated GROUND for the first time, along with the largest magnitude vertical acceleration of 1.6042 g’s. Both left and right engine thrust reversers indicated deployed six seconds after initial MLG touchdown. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed extensive structural damage to the right and left forward area (41/43 station) of the fuselage. There was extensive damage to twelve skin panels, eleven severed RH stringers and twelve buckled LH stringer sections, multiple underlying damaged structural components, and damage to the nose landing gear and support structure

Probable cause

an improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and substantial damage.

Flight data recorder

Boeing 757-200 · N26123 — 91,376 samples, 40 parameters, 09:45:00.0 to 12:55:21.0.

Sequence of events (FDR factual report)

Recorder documents in the docket

Docket: data.ntsb.gov/Docket/?NTSBNumber=DCA19CA167. This brief is an analytical aid assembled from public records; it is not an investigative finding.