Boeing 757-222 accident near Climax, Colorado, February 7, 1999
On February 7, 1999 at about 3:27 pm local time, a Boeing 757-222, registered N586UA, was involved in an accident near Climax, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 28 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight's encounter with turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1999 · about 3:27 pm local time
- Place
- Climax, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 28 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-222 · all 757-222s on the register
- Registration
- N586UA · no longer on the register · serial 26710
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After departing from Denver, Colorado, United Airlines flight 553 was cleared to climb to FL350 via the Rockies Three Departure (DEN R-240). The captain radioed ahead to another United flight on the same departure course and altitude, requesting a weather report. The other United flight reported 'occasional light chop uh mostly smooth.' The captain released the flight attendants to move about the cabin. The captain reported that between FL340 and FL345, the flight encountered severe turbulence. One flight attendant received a fractured knee cap and a concussion.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 1,497 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,634 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 6, 1998; 3,330 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 260,000 lb
- Seats: 214
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2037M (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 2:59 pm
- Destination: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from DEN, 70 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 22 |
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.