Boeing 737-322 incident near Kansas City, Missouri, January 8, 1991
On January 8, 1991 at about 1:15 am local time, a Boeing 737-322, registered N396UA, was involved in an incident near Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF THE THROTTLES, AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BY THE FIRST OFFICER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE INCIDENT ARE: ICE ON THE RUNWAY, LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN THE TYPE AIRCRAFT AND OPERATION BY THE FIRST OFFICER, AND INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE CAPTAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1991 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · Kansas City Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-322 · all 737-322s on the register
- Registration
- N396UA · registry record · serial 24671
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FIRST OFFICER HAD CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT FOR TAKEOFF ON ICE COVERED RUNWAY. AFTER THE THROTTLES WERE ADVANCED FOR TAKEOFF, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED STRAIGHT AHEAD FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS, THEN BEGAN TO SLIDE TO THE LEFT. THE CAPTAIN TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT BUT COULD NOT MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, OR STOP THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO A STOP IN THE MUD AND SNOW. AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION WAS CONDUCTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ON APPLICATION OF POWER FOR TAKEOFF, THE RIGHT ENGINE HAD A 10% GREATER N1 THAN THE LEFT ENGINE. THE FIRST OFFICER WAS ON HIS INITIAL OPERATING EXPERIENCE IN THE AIRCRAFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 135,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM-56-3B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 9,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:25 am from MCI, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 31 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.