Boeing 767 incident near Keflavik, Is, July 20, 2009
On July 20, 2009 at about 2:44 pm local time, a Boeing 767, registered N658UA, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Keflavik (Keflavik airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2009 · about 2:44 pm local time
- Place
- Keflavik, Iceland · Keflavik
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767 300 · all 767s on the register
- Registration
- N658UA · registry record · serial 6458
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 20, 2009, UAL flight 949, a B767 enroute from London Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare experienced smoke in the cockpit and the crew elected to divert to Keflavik, Iceland. The flight landed without further incident and no injuries among the 11 crew and 178 passengers. The event is being investigated by AAIB Iceland, who requested recorder readout assistance from NTSB.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: EGLL London Lhr
- Destination: KORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.