Boeing 737-322 incident near Los Angeles, California, August 21, 1990
On August 21, 1990 at about 4:04 pm local time, a Boeing 737-322, registered N305UA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE SERVICE BY A COMPANY EMPLOYEE WHO ALLOWED A FOREIGN OBJECT (FLASHLIGHT) TO REMAIN IN THE LANDING GEAR EXTEND/RETRACT LINKAGE DURING A NIGHT SERVICING BEFORE THE FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1990 · about 4:04 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-322 · all 737-322s on the register
- Registration
- N305UA · registry record · serial 23666
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT OF UAL FLIGHT 1257 WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE CREW EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR FOR LANDING AT THE DESTINATION AND RECEIVED AN UNSAFE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR INDICATION. THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR AND PRECEDED TO AN AIRPORT WITH A LONGER RUNWAY FOR A GEAR UP LANDING. THE LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT INJURIES. THE RIGHT POWERPLANT NACELLE RECEIVED INCIDENTAL DAMAGE DURING THE LANDING TOUCHDOWN. WHEN THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR WAS OPENED A 3 CELL FLASHLIGHT WAS FOUND SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE CARGO FLOORING AND THE LANDING GEAR RETRACT/EXTEND LINKAGE.
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: 7,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 1,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 130,000 lb
- Seats: 138
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm 56-3B-2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: OAK Oakland CA at 2:30 pm
- Destination: BUR Burbank CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24L, 10,285 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:50 pm from LAX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 133 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N305UA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.