Boeing 737-522 incident near Denver, Colorado, February 3, 2007
On February 3, 2007, a Boeing 737-522, registered N928UA, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Denver International Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 101 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The snowplow driver's failure to follow procedures/directives by crossing an active runway without clearance, resulting in a runway incursion and near collision with an airplane during its landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2007
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver International Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 101 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-522 · all 737-522s on the register
- Registration
- N928UA · no longer on the register · serial 26651
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The snowplow driver had been plowing snow on an airport service road. When he finished, the driver departed for another area of the airport that needed plowing, which required crossing a taxiway and active runway. The driver stopped short of the taxiway, but without ATC or airport operations clearance, crossed the runway. The driver saw a landing airplane as he was crossing the runway and increased acceleration. The flight crew saw the snowplow holding short of the taxiway. They landed, but during the landing roll, they saw the snowplow cross in front of them. "Significant" reverse thrust and brakes were used to bring the aircraft to a halt on the runway. The ground controller did not see the snowplow, but was alerted to the runway incursion by the flight crew's report. The Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) was operational, but no alarm sounded.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,975 hours in all; 2,544 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 241 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,084 hours in all; 942 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 167 as pilot in command; 32 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,506 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 122,500 lb
- Seats: 117
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CFM56-3-B1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CFM56-3-B1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 11:28 pm
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 14,000 ft; a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 96 |
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.