Boeing 737-200 accident near San Francisco, California, August 6, 1992
On August 6, 1992 at about 4:33 pm local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N9010U, was involved in an accident near San Francisco, California (San Francisco airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 113 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE TOWBAR. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS A DISCONNECTED TOW BAR DURING PUSH BACK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1992 · about 4:33 pm local time
- Place
- San Francisco, California · San Francisco · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 113 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9010U · no longer on the register · serial 19048
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING PUSHBACK FROM A TERMINAL GATE, THE TOWBAR BECAME DISCONNECTED, ALLOWING THE AIRPLANE TO CONTINUE TO ROLL BACKWARD. GROUND PERSONNEL, UTILIZING AN INTERCOM SYSTEM, CALLED FOR AN EMERGENCY STOP AND THE CAPTAIN APPLIED THE AIRPLANE BRAKES. DURING THE SUDDEN STOP, A CABIN CREW MEMBER LOST HER BALANCE AND FELL AGAINST A SEAT ARMREST, SUSTAINING A FRACTURED SHOULDER.
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: 5,949 hours in all; 427 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 46,912 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 17, 1991; 2,440 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 114
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SFO
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from SFO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 109 |
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.