A United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER has suffered significant damage due to a hard landing at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where the plane was operating as United Airlines flight UA702 to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The landing occurred on Saturday, July 29th, at 10:34 local time, after a three-hour flight from Newark.
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The plane taxied to the stand without any further incident. While all 193 passengers and 11 crew members onboard the plane appear to have avoided injury, the aircraft sustained extensive damage to the fuselage, including wrinkling and tearing.
The 767-300ER in question has the registration number N641UA and arrived in Newark on July 28th, following a flight from Palma de Mallorca (PMI) as flight UA237. Before that, it had flown a transatlantic service to Berlin (BER) and back. Flight data from FlightRadar24.com shows that the plane is still on the ground in Houston, three days after the incident.
United Airlines' oldest 767-300ER, this particular aircraft was delivered to the airline in April 1991, making it over 32 years old. The carrier has 37 767-300ER planes in its fleet, with a seating capacity of 203 passengers in a three-class configuration - 149 in economy class, 24 in premium economy, and 30 in business class. In addition to its aging 777-200s, United Airlines' 767-300ER fleet is due to be retired by 2030 and replaced by the 787. The airline has 100 787s on order, including all three variants - the 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. At present, it is not known what caused the hard landing, but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was informed of the incident and issued the statement, "Aircraft made a hard landing and post-flight inspection revealed damage to the fuselage, Houston, TX," as reported by The Aviation Herald.