Boeing 757-222 N570UA

Summary

On 10 June 2009 at about 18:30 local time, a Boeing 757-222 registered N570UA, operated by United Air Lines Inc, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 192 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 June 2009 at 18:30

Classification

Incident

Location

Denver, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Denver International Airport (KDEN)

Coordinates

39.7496, -105.0010

Aircraft

Boeing 757-222

Registration

N570UA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

United Air Lines Inc

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Minor

NTSB number

ENG09IA007

Nobody was injured.

There was a malfunction of the electronic engine control (EEC) burner pressure (Pb) sensor that had an abnormally high indication that resulted in an excessive amount of fuel being pumped into the engine that was still at a sub-idle condition. Because the engine was still accelerating to idle, the limited airflow through the engine engine was insufficient for the amount of fuel and resulted in a tailpipe fire. The cause of the EEC's Pb sensor fault could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A United Airlines Boeing 757-222, N570UA, experienced a tailpipe fire on the No. 2, right, engine, a Pratt & Whitney PW2037(M) during engine start at the Denver International Airport. The airplane's right wing in back of the engine and adjacent fuselage suffered minor damage. Interrogation of the cockpit engine display showed several faults related to the electronic engine control (EEC) burner pressure (Pb) sensors. The interrogation of the cockpit engine display also showed the Pb indications were abnormally high for an engine start. Fuel is scheduled to the an engine as a function of Pb. So a high Pb indication would consequently result in a high fuel flow to the engine. Because the engine was just starting, the limited amount of airflow through the engine was insufficient for the excessive amount of fuel and resulted in a tailpipe fire. The EEC was removed from the engine and sent to the manufacturer for testing. The testing could not identify a cause for the malfunction and subsequent tailpipe fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.