Boeing 737-300 incident near Denver, Colorado, January 3, 1992
On January 3, 1992 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N343UA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 127 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT IN A MAIN WIRE BUNDLE DUE TO CHAFING OF THE BUNDLE ON AIRFRAME STRUCTURAL MEMBERS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1992 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 127 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N343UA · no longer on the register · serial 24247
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMB, THE CREW NOTED AN ELECTRICAL ARCING SOUND AND SLIGHT ELECTRICAL-TYPE BURNING ODOR WHILE PASSING THROUGH FLIGHT LEVEL 180. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE COMPLIED WITH AND THE PROBLEM APPEARED TO BE SOLVED. THE CLIMB WAS CONTINUED, AND WHILE PASSING THROUGH FLIGHT LEVEL 330 A LOUD ARCING SOUND WAS AGAIN HEARD ACCOMPANIED BY FLAMES FROM THE FLIGHT DECK AFT OVERHEAD PANEL. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE, AND THE FLIGHT RETURNED TO DENVER AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION DISCLOSED A SHORT IN A WIRE BUNDLE. THE BUNDLE WAS NOT SHIELDED OR ANCHORED AS THE OTHER MAJOR BUNDLE IN THE COMPARTMENT. THE SHORT WAS DUE TO THE BUNDLE CHAFING ON THE FLIGHT DECK ENTRY DOOR FRAME. IN ADDITION, TESTING REVEALED THAT THE WIRE GAUGE USED IN PART OF THIS APPLICATION WAS INSUFFICIENT FOR THE ELECTRICAL LOAD.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,673 hours in all; 1,399 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,974 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 5, 1991; 2,731 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 130,000 lb
- Seats: 136
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM 56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 99 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 121 |
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.