United pilot’s braking eyed by investigators after runway skid
A United Airlines aircraft skidded off an airport runway in Houston last month after the plane’s captain appeared to stray from the carrier’s procedures for landing in slippery conditions, a preliminary report by US safety investigators said. The captain flying the Boeing Co. 737 Max touched down on the runway after lowering the plane’s autobraking system to a level that provided less stopping power than what United instructs for landings in wet and slippery conditions, according to the report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot told investigators that the runway at George Bush Intercontinental Airport appeared dry, while the first officer recalled it looking wet, the report shows. The NTSB report suggests investigators are probing actions taken by the flight crew before the plane skidded off the runway and came to rest in grass near a taxiway. None of the 160 passengers or six crew members were injured. The NTSB’s preliminary report doesn’t cite the incident’s probable cause. United, which is under scrutiny for a series of safety incidents, said it would continue working with the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigators. The captain, 61, began flying for United in 1987 and has more than 15,000 hours experience operating Boeing 737s, according to the report. The first officer, 38, was hired by United in 2019 and had flown 737s for more than 1,250 hours. The incident was one of several recent safety scares involving United airplanes in recent weeks. The FAA has been considering actions that would constrain United’s growth in response to the incidents. This could include preventing the carrier from adding new routes, Bloomberg News reported last month, citing people familiar with the situation. After touching down normally, the captain switched off the autobraking system. He told investigators that he did not “slow too much initially” because the runway appeared dry, and that he preferred to slow down gradually for the comfort of passengers, according to the report. Story has more.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-04-05/star/united-pilot2019s-braking-eyed-by-investigators-after-runway-skid
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United pilot’s braking eyed by investigators after runway skid
A United Airlines aircraft skidded off an airport runway in Houston last month after the plane’s captain appeared to stray from the carrier’s procedures for landing in slippery conditions, a preliminary report by US safety investigators said. The captain flying the Boeing Co. 737 Max touched down on the runway after lowering the plane’s autobraking system to a level that provided less stopping power than what United instructs for landings in wet and slippery conditions, according to the report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot told investigators that the runway at George Bush Intercontinental Airport appeared dry, while the first officer recalled it looking wet, the report shows. The NTSB report suggests investigators are probing actions taken by the flight crew before the plane skidded off the runway and came to rest in grass near a taxiway. None of the 160 passengers or six crew members were injured. The NTSB’s preliminary report doesn’t cite the incident’s probable cause. United, which is under scrutiny for a series of safety incidents, said it would continue working with the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigators. The captain, 61, began flying for United in 1987 and has more than 15,000 hours experience operating Boeing 737s, according to the report. The first officer, 38, was hired by United in 2019 and had flown 737s for more than 1,250 hours. The incident was one of several recent safety scares involving United airplanes in recent weeks. The FAA has been considering actions that would constrain United’s growth in response to the incidents. This could include preventing the carrier from adding new routes, Bloomberg News reported last month, citing people familiar with the situation. After touching down normally, the captain switched off the autobraking system. He told investigators that he did not “slow too much initially” because the runway appeared dry, and that he preferred to slow down gradually for the comfort of passengers, according to the report. Story has more.<br/>
