Airbus A320 incident near Newark, New Jersey, January 25, 2008
On January 25, 2008 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 2000 Airbus A320, registered N462UA, was involved in an incident during initial climb near Newark, New Jersey (Newark Liberty Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 107 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a fault in the airplane's AC 1 electrical bus that caused a number of other electrical busses on the aircraft to lose power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2008 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark Liberty Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 107 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320 232, built 2000 · all A320s on the register
- Registration
- N462UA · registry record · serial 1272
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This incident occurred when United Airlines flight 731 experienced a fault in the airplane's AC 1 electrical bus, one of the two primary electrical distribution systems for the airplane, which in turn caused a number of other electrical busses on the aircraft to lose power. The loss of this electrical power led to the loss of a number of aircraft displays and systems. During the flights return to the airport, multiple messages on the electronic centralized aircraft monitoring (ECAM) system, which provides information to the crew regarding failures that have occurred on the aircraft along with recommended corrective actions, were being displayed then removed by the ECAM system, making it difficult for the flight crew to interpret and address the error messages. There were no faults found in the airplane wiring and the testing and teardown found don faults in the #1 integrated drive generator (IDG), bus tie contactor (BTC), and generator control unit (GCU).
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
What happened, in order
- Electrical system malf/failure during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › AC power distribution system › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all; 4,950 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 28, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 2,290 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27,021 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 169,756 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Iae V2500SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Iae V2500SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines Inc
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; a few clouds at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 102 |
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.