Boeing 737-322 accident near Denver, Colorado, June 18, 1998
On June 18, 1998 at about 2:46 am local time, a Boeing 737-322, registered N364UA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denver, Colorado (Denver International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 70 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate visual lookout by ground personnel (tug operator). Factors include failure of the airline to provide proper assistance (wing walkers) to the tug operator, and inadequate pushback procedures by the airline; inattention of the catering truck driver, and failure of the flight crew to illuminate the rotating beacon prior to or during pushback.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1998 · about 2:46 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 70 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-322 · all 737-322s on the register
- Registration
- N364UA · no longer on the register · serial 24533
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The catering truck driver parked directly behind the airplane, awaiting the arrival of another flight at an adjacent gate. He set the parking brake, turned off the engine, but left the headlights on. He said he was not concerned about parking behind the airplane because the jetway was still in position, the airplane's rotating beacon was not flashing, and another catering truck was servicing the coach section. The other truck then moved around to the front of the airplane to service the first class section. After baggage had been loaded in the forward cargo bin, the belt loader was backed away from the airplane. Normally, the belt loader would then be positioned on the vehicle service road to warn traffic that an airplane was being pushed back. This was not possible because the belt loader was blocked by the catering truck that had backed away from the airplane. The tug operator had made a previous walk-around inspection of the airplane and observed no hazards. He said that prior to pushback, he looked under the airplane one more time and saw no obstacles. He said he did not see the parked catering truck. As the catering truck was backing away from the airplane, pushback began and the airplane collided with the parked catering truck.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,466 hours in all; 3,783 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27,323 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 16, 1998; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 130,000 lb
- Seats: 132
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm C56-3-C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN
- Destination: ONT Ontario CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 am from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 65 |
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.