Boeing 747-422 accident near Pacific Ocean, PO, June 9, 1999
On June 9, 1999, a Boeing 747-422, registered N198UA, was involved in an accident near Pacific Ocean, PO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 325 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
intentional tampering/altering of a galley lift interlock microswitch by unknown persons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1999
- Place
- Pacific Ocean, PO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 325 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-422 · all 747-422s on the register
- Registration
- N198UA · no longer on the register · serial 28716
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route from Singapore to Narita, Japan, a flight attendant proceeded to transfer a serving cart from the main deck to the upper deck. As the flight attendant pushed the cart into the lift, the lift began to move. The lift continued to raise, catching the edge of the cart and lifting it off the ground, trapping the flight attendant between the other end of the cart and the galley counter opposite the lift. As the cart was raised off the floor, the flight attendant was lifted off her feet and her body was pushed on top of the galley counter. The cart continued to rise, pinning the flight attendant's face between the cart and the bins above the galley counter. An inspection of the galley lift after landing revealed a piece of cardboard had been inserted into the interlock safety switch, disabling it, and by doing so, the galley lift can be operated without closing the galley lift door. This condition is known to have been caused, in other incidents, by food service personnel to expedite loading of food service aboard the aircraft.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,127 hours in all; 603 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,439 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 17, 1998; 4,002 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 875,000 lb
- Seats: 391
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W P&W4056 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SIN Singapore OF at 7:25 am
- Destination: NRT Narita OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 19 | ||
| Passengers | 306 |
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.