This incident happened on Saturday, July 29, 2023, and involves a 32-year-old United Airlines Boeing 767-300 with the registration code N641UA. The jet was performing flight UA702 from Newark (EWR) to Houston (IAH).
The jet reportedly had an incredibly hard landing on runway 26L at Houston Intercontinental Airport. The plane taxied to the gate without incident, and there were no injuries. Rough landings happen all the time, so why is this noteworthy?
Well, this wasn’t just your typical rough landing, because the aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of it, including wrinkles and tears in the fuselage. The damage was discovered during a post flight inspection.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now investigating the incident. According to reports online (which haven’t been confirmed, but I’m sure they’ll all be revealed in an investigation):
- The tear extended to both sides of the fuselage, and some of the panels inside the cabin came off upon impact; furthermore, there was reportedly a small hole in the top of the cabin that let in light
- The pilot flying at the time was a new hire, so it remains to be seen how lack of experience factored into what happened
Source – https://onemileatatime.com/