Boeing 737-322 N371UA
7 June 1996 · San Francisco, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 June 1996 at about 05:05 local time, a Boeing 737-322 registered N371UA, operated by United Airlines, Inc., was involved in an accident near San Francisco, California, United States. 220 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 05:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- San Francisco Intl (SFO)
- Coordinates
- 37.6098, -122.3807
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-322
- Registration
- N371UA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- United Airlines, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Seattle
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- LAX96LA222
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 220 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 220 |
Probable cause
inadequate visual lookout by the United Airlines tug driver during the pushback operation. Contributing factors were: the driver's reduced ability to observe the American B-767 due to the nighttime condition, and United Airlines management's failure to ensure that safety procedures were followed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
At night, a tail-to-tail ground collision occurred in an alleyway between an outbound United Boeing 737, N371UA, and an outbound American Boeing 767, N335AA. At the time, the B-737 was under tug control while being pushed back without the aid of wing walkers from gate number 77. The United B-767 was beginning to taxi from the same alleyway following its earlier uneventful pushback with the aid of wing walkers from gate number 63. According to the B-737's tug driver, during pushback she had observed a nearby food service truck and had initially slowed her speed to ensure its passage. Thereafter, she continued pushing the B-737 toward the designed alleyway location. Suddenly, an impact occurred and the tug driver for the first time observed an American B-767 was already located in the alleyway. United management reported that during pushback operations it was the tug driver's responsibility to ensure that adequate clearance existed. Nine months earlier United management was aware that aircraft utilizing its gate number 77 did not have the minimum 25-foot aircraft wing tip clearance as required by the City of San Francisco. City personnel agreed to allow United gate usage provided United 'guarantee the use of wing walkers.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-322 737-322 | N371UA | United Airlines, Inc. | Substantial |
| Boeing 767-223 767-223 | N335AA | American Airlines, Inc. | Minor |
Other Boeing 737 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Mar 1996 | Boeing 737-200 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Air South Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 1996 | Boeing 737-500 | Bishop, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 1996 | Boeing 737-200 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1996 | Boeing 737-222 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1996 | Boeing 737-300 | Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States | US Air | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 1996 | Boeing 737-400 | Yakutat, Alaska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,317 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1996 | Maule M-6-235 | Bishop, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1996 | Cessna 210A | Truckee, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Santa Paula, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Plymouth, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1996 | Cessna T210M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172L | Napa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |