Airbus A320-232 accident near Houston, Texas, March 22, 2023
On March 22, 2023 at about 10:26 pm local time, a 2006 Airbus A320-232, registered N1902U, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Houston, Texas (George Bush Intcntl/Houston airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 156 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The first officer's failure to maintain the correct airspeed and pitch attitude during landing which resulted in a tailstrike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2023 · about 10:26 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · George Bush Intcntl/Houston · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 156 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320-232, built 2006 · all A320-232s on the register
- Registration
- N1902U · registry record · serial 2714
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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
- Tailstrike during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Copilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,045 hours in all; 10,100 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 5,315 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 13, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,550 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,705 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 10, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,194 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 19, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 170,600 lb
- Seats: 200
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: International Aero Engines V2527-A5 (turbofan); 23,858 hours total
- Engine 2: International Aero Enignes V2527-A5 (turbofan); 23,048 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: MMMX Mexico City OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KIAH, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KIAH 222253Z 17013G21KT 10SM SCT036 26/18 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP167 T02610183=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 151 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 20, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Crew Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N1902U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA23LA221.