Boeing 757-222 accident near Los Angeles, California, May 31, 2011
On May 31, 2011 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Boeing 757-222, registered N526UA, suffered minor damage in an accident during pushback/tow (engine not oper) near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles Intl. airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 190 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The ground crewmembers’ failure to follow proper procedures for removing a stuck or jammed tow bar, which resulted in a ground crew injury.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2011 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles Intl. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 190 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-222 · all 757-222s on the register
- Registration
- N526UA · no longer on the register · serial 24994
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tug’s tow bar’s shear pins broke while the airplane was being pushed back from the gate to an adjacent alley (a “turn reversal”), which required a significant (but within limits) turn of the nose landing gear. The tow bar became stuck and, despite repeated attempts by the operator’s ground crew personnel, would not disconnect from the tug or the airplane. When the operator’s ground personnel asked the pilots to release the airplane’s parking brake to ease the tension on the tow bar, the pilots did so. The airplane rolled slightly forward, contacting and fracturing the foot of one of the ground crewmembers. Although the operator’s ground crew ramp service manual procedure and flight manual guidance specified that the airplane’s parking brakes should not be released to assist in releasing a stuck tow bar, the pilots stated that they released the brakes believing that they were going to resume pushback. As a result of a postaccident hazard assessment, the operator stopped performing turn reversal tow operations similar to the accident operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Ground handling event during pushback/tow (engine not oper) defining event
- Ground handling event during standing (engine(s) not oper)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,829 hours in all; 4,810 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 3,445 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,064 hours in all; 1,794 in this make and model; 236 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 2,399 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67,211 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 23, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 223,000 lb
- Seats: 190
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P & W PW2040 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P & W PW2040 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 7:15 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 6 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N526UA 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.