Boeing 737-500 incident near Denver, Colorado, August 7, 2004
On August 7, 2004 at about 11:12 pm local time, a Boeing 737-500, registered N929UA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Denver International Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 113 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inaccurate radar information due to the failure of the Airport Movement Area Surveillance radar resulting in the tower calling for the airplane to abort the takeoff, subsequently causing tire and brake damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2004 · about 11:12 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver International Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 113 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-500 · all 737-500s on the register
- Registration
- N929UA · no longer on the register · serial 26652
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the FAA, takeoff clearance for the flight was cancelled due to a target detected at the departure end of the runway by the airport movement area safety system (AMASS) radar system. According to a written statement from the flight crew, they successfully aborted the takeoff and were able to taxi to a deicing pad. In the captain's conversation with the tower supervisor, the supervisor stated that the tower initiated the abort call because of a target indicated on their radar. The airplane sustained damage to the tires and brakes. After the abort, hundreds of targets were displayed on the tower's radar and the supervisor believed there was a computer malfunction. Postincident investigation revealed that a dual air conditioning unit failure had occurred within the Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) equipment room. Equipment room temperatures had elevated and caused the equipment failure.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,282 hours in all; 7,746 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,205 hours in all; 3,425 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,436 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 28, 2003; 2,639 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 122,500 lb
- Seats: 114
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 11:12 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from DEN, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 108 |
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.