Boeing 757-222 incident near Portland, Oregon, May 17, 2006
On May 17, 2006 at about 4:08 pm local time, a Boeing 757-222, registered N506UA, was involved in an incident near Portland, Oregon (Portland Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 189 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent deployment of the off-wing escape slide due to the inadequate latching of the slide compartment door following access by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2006 · about 4:08 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · Portland Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 189 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-222 · all 757-222s on the register
- Registration
- N506UA · no longer on the register · serial 24627
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Post landing examination of the airplane by personnel from United Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration revealed that the left off-wing escape slide had deployed, without inflating, and was observed hanging from the aircraft's fuselage. Further examination by United maintenance personnel revealed that the slide carrier tray assembly had rotated out to the open position. The off-wing slide compartment, door and operating latch mechanism were inspected by United maintenance personnel and no discrepancies were noted. Additional examination of the off-wing escape slide assembly by personnel from Boeing engineering revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction with the system. Maintenance records indicated that on May 15, 2006, (four flights before the slide deployment) the off-wing escape slide pack was replaced in accordance with routine scheduled maintenance intervals for the assembly. The maintenance was completed, and inspected, by United Airlines personnel at a maintenance facility in Chicago, Illinois. A post incident Maintenance Investigation report submitted to the NTSB by United Airlines indicated that the inadvertent deployment of the off-wing slide assembly was the result of the carrier tray not being locked in the stowed position.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,500 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 241 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52,976 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 214,600 lb
- Seats: 191
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 3:42 pm
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28R, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from KPDX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 182 |
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.