United A320 at Houston on Mar 22nd 2023, tail strike on landing, aircraft continued operation
Last Update: June 21, 2023 / 20:39:35 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 22, 2023
Classification
Accident
Airline
United
Flight number
UA-1091
Departure
Mexico City, Mexico
Destination
Houston Intercontinental, United States
Aircraft Registration
N1902U
Aircraft Type
Airbus A320
ICAO Type Designator
A320
Airport ICAO Code
KIAH
About 90 minutes later the aircraft departed for its next flight climbing to FL340 and performed 7 more sectors until Mar 25th 2023 before being removed from service at Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA). The aircraft positioned from Dallas to Houston Intercontinental on Apr 21st 2023 and is on the ground in Houston since (standing Jun 8th 2023).
The NTSB rated the occurrence an accident stating the aircraft sustained substantial damage on landing in Houston due to a tail strike and opened an investigation.
On Jun 21st 2023 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the accident was:
The first officer's failure to maintain the correct airspeed and pitch attitude during landing which resulted in a tailstrike.
The NTSB analysed (without going into the 7 flights that followed the accident):
United Airlines flight 1091 sustained a tailstrike while landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH), Houston, TX. The flight was a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from Mexico City, Mexico to KIAH.
According to the flight crew, the captain was the pilot monitoring, and the first officer (FO) was the pilot flying when they were cleared for the visual approach to runway 27 at KIAH. The airplane was in the landing configuration and on a stabilized approach at 1,000 ft. above ground level (AGL). About 60 ft AGL the captain noticed the airspeed begin to decay and stated watch your speed. The FO subsequently pitched the nose of the airplane down and added a little thrust. About 30 ft AGL, due to a higher-than-normal rate of descent the captain commanded flare, flare, flare. The FO flared the airplane which resulted in a firm landing. As the airplane rebounded from the firm landing the spoilers deployed resulting in a nose high attitude. In an effort to correct for the nose high attitude, the captain and FO pushed forward on their respective sidesticks.
The FO stated that the ground spoiler deployment coinciding with the firm touchdown resulted in an airplane nose-up pitch attitude. As a result, the pitch attitude increased until the tail struck the runway. After the tailstrike, the remainder of the landing and landing rollout were normal with no risk of runway overrun or excursion.
The tailstrike resulted in abrasion damage over an area of about 19 feet long by 1 foot wide along the aft lower fuselage. An inspection revealed substantial damage to the aft pressure bulkhead and frames.
Metars:
KIAH 230253Z 17011KT 10SM FEW015 SCT027 22/19 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP176 T02170194 53007=
KIAH 230153Z 16010KT 10SM FEW020 SCT034 23/19 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP173 T02280194=
KIAH 230053Z 17009KT 10SM FEW023 FEW035 23/19 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP171 T02330189=
KIAH 222353Z 17012KT 10SM FEW025 SCT036 25/19 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP169 T02500189 10283 20250 55001=
KIAH 222253Z 17013G21KT 10SM SCT036 26/18 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP167 T02610183=
KIAH 222153Z 17013G21KT 10SM SCT038 27/18 A3003 RMK AO2 PK WND 16027/2055 SLP168 T02670183=
KIAH 222053Z 16015G27KT 10SM SCT040 28/18 A3004 RMK AO2 PK WND 15027/2050 SLP171 T02780183 58025=
KIAH 221953Z 16015G21KT 10SM BKN045 28/18 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP180 T02780183=
Aircraft Registration Data
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 22, 2023
Classification
Accident
Airline
United
Flight number
UA-1091
Departure
Mexico City, Mexico
Destination
Houston Intercontinental, United States
Aircraft Registration
N1902U
Aircraft Type
Airbus A320
ICAO Type Designator
A320
Airport ICAO Code
KIAH
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
United A320 at Grand Rapids on Jan 18th 2026, hydraulic indication
A United Airbus A320-200, registration N1902U performing flight UA-2622 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Grand Rapids,MI (USA), was on approach to Grand…
Fleet type match
United A320 near New Orleans on Jan 10th 2020, turbulence injures flight attendant
A United Airbus A320-200, registration N1902U performing flight UA-1754 from New Orleans,LA to Newark,NJ (USA) with 159 people on board, was climbing…
Fleet type match
United B772 enroute on Feb 10th 2024, severe turbulence injures 16
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N788UA performing flight UA-1890 from Los Angeles,CA to Newark,NJ (USA) with 269 passengers and 11 crew, was…
Fleet type match
United A319 at Washington on Feb 3rd 2026, engine problems
A United Airbus A319-100, registration N889UA performing flight UA-2241 from Washington Dulles,DC to Cleveland,OH (USA) with 113 people on board, was…
Fleet type match
United B738 near Denver on Feb 8th 2026, high engine vibrations
A United Boeing 737-800, registration N11206 performing flight UA-1125 from Denver,CO to Boise,ID (USA), was enroute at FL380 about 220nm northwest…
Fleet type match
United B763 at Amsterdam on Jan 30th 2026, generator failure
A United Boeing 767-300, registration N675UA performing flight UA-908 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA), was climbing out of…
Fleet type match
United B763 near Newark on Jan 22nd 2026, laptop fell through gap into cargo hold
A United Boeing 767-300, registration N668UA performing flight UA-748 from Washington Dulles,DC (USA) to Geneva (Switzerland), was enroute at FL330…
Newest articles
Fleet type match
United B772 enroute on Feb 10th 2024, severe turbulence injures 16
A United Boeing 777-200, registration N788UA performing flight UA-1890 from Los Angeles,CA to Newark,NJ (USA) with 269 passengers and 11 crew, was…
Fleet type match
Jetblue A21N at San Francisco on Feb 9th 2026, tail strike on balked landing
A Jetblue Airbus A321-200N, registration N2188J performing flight B6-2233 from Boston,MA to San Francisco,CA (USA), landed on San Francisco's runway…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways