Boeing 737-522 incident near Eugene, Oregon, December 26, 1997
On December 26, 1997 at about 7:19 am local time, a Boeing 737-522, registered N918UA, was involved in an incident near Eugene, Oregon (Mahlon Sweet Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 105 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A checklist procedure was not followed. The initiation of an evacuation was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1997 · about 7:19 am local time
- Place
- Eugene, Oregon · Mahlon Sweet Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 105 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-522 · all 737-522s on the register
- Registration
- N918UA · no longer on the register · serial 25385
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the airplane had taxied to and stopped at the gate, the jetway was positioned to the 1 left door. While the passengers were beginning to deplane, the captain positioned the fuel levers to the 'cutoff' position. Ground power had not yet been connected and the airplane went dark. The captain then repositioned the fuel levers to the 'idle' position. Immediately following this action, ground personnel noticed smoke coming from the number two engine and notified the flight crew of a fire. The captain ordered an evacuation and began the checklist procedures. When the flight crew reached the position of the fuel levers step in the checklist, the captain noticed that the fuel levers were in the 'idle' position. The captain then positioned the fuel levers to the 'cutoff' position. The smoke began to dissipate from the engine and the all clear signal was given by the ground crew. After the smoke dissipated, the captain cancelled the evacuation. Approximately 20 passengers had deplaned via the 2 right slide to the ground. Another 10 to 20 passenger went out the over wing exit. Maintenance personnel inspected the engine and reported that there was no indication of an actual fire, and suspected that when the fuel lever was positioned to the 'idle' position, the fuel valve opened and jet fuel was injected into the hot decelerating engine.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,300 hours in all; 853 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,287 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 30, 1997; 228 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 131,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm 56-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA at 5:50 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 am from 225
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 100 |
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.