Boeing 777-222 incident near Seoul, South Korea, Kr, December 31, 2012
On December 31, 2012, a Boeing 777-222, registered N206UA, was involved in an incident near Seoul, South Korea (Incheon International Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 2012
- Place
- Seoul, South Korea, South Korea · Incheon International Airport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 777-222 · all 777-222s on the register
- Registration
- N206UA · registry record · serial 30212
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 31, 2012, a United Airlines Boeing 777, registration number N206UA, experienced a No.1 (left)engine failure while passing through flight level (FL)250. The crew received an “ENG FAIL” Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting (EICAS) message. The Flight Crew declared an emergency and returned to the Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea for an uneventful landing. Post landing inspection revealed metal fragments in the No. 1 engine chip detector. The REPUBLIC OF KOREA Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board Ministry of Construction and Transportation is investigating the accident. As the state of manufacture of the engines, the NTSB has designated a U.S. Accredited Representative under the provisions of Annex 13 to the Convention on Civil Aviation to assist ARAIB in their investigation. All inquiries concerning this accident should be directed to ARAIB at: REPUBLIC OF KOREA Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board Ministry of Construction and Transportation 281, Gonghang-Dong Gangseo-gu, Seoul Republic of Korea 157-815 Tel.: (82) 2 6096-1017 (82) 2 6096-1030 (24 hours) E-mail: byeonsc@moct.go.kr Fax: (82) 2 6096-1031 AFTN: RKSLYLYX Website: http://www.araib.go.kr
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
The aircraft
- Seats: 400
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W PW4090 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W PW4000 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Air Lines INC
The flight
- Departed from: ICN Seoul, South Korea
- Destination: NRT Tokyo, Japan
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.