Draft:United Airlines Flight 2477

United Airlines Flight 2477

Occurrence
Date	March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08)
Summary	Plane rolling on grass after landing causing landing gear damage
Site	George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 737 MAX 8
Operator	United Airlines
Registration	N27290
Flight origin	Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Destination	George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, United States
Passengers	160
Crew	6
Fatalities	0
Injuries	0
Survivors	166 (all)

United Airlines Flight 2477 (UA2477/UAL2477) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, in the United States. On March 8, 2024, the Boeing 737 MAX operating the route rolled off the runway and rolled into the grass after landing at their destination airport, damaging the rear landing gear. All 166 people survived the incident.

Passengers and crew

There are 160 passengers and 6 crew on board the flight, with a total of 166 occupants. All 166 occupants evacuated the aircraft without any minor or serious injuries.

Passengers onboard a United Airlines flight that landed at George Bush International Airport in Houston Friday morning had to evacuate the plane when it tilted and "rolled onto the grass" from the taxiway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Passengers exited the aircraft on the taxiway and were transported to the terminal via buses. Social media posts provide additional context on what happened.

• A tweet from JonNYC suggested uncertainty about the cause, mentioning either mechanical issues or wet pavement conditions as potential factors, leaning strong towards the latter as the probable cause.
• Another tweet reported a collapse of the left main landing gear during the taxiing process, leaving it ambiguous whether the collapse occurred due to veering off the taxiway or if it was a failure.
• Meanwhile, an eyewitness account contested the notion of a mechanical failure, claiming the aircraft was fully upright and landed successfully, suggesting that the mishap occurred when the pilot attempted a rapid turn, causing the aircraft to slide off the runway and subsequently damaging the landing gear.

Incident

According to the FAA, after landing at IAH, United Airlines Flight 2477 from Memphis rolled onto the grass while exiting onto the taxiway around 8 a.m.

The passengers were deplaned on the taxiway and bused to the terminal, the FAA said.

In a later update, United said all the evacuated passengers were bused to the terminal and assisted with connections and other needs. The company also says they are removing the luggage and returning them to the passengers as fast as they can.

In a video from the airport, it appears the plane is tilted to the side. The left wing is touching the ground, off the runway. There was a large police and fire presence around the aircraft.

The video also shows a group of passengers getting on an airport bus on the tarmac.

ABC13 spoke with a passenger who was on the plane the moment the incident happened. He says there was a "huge pop" before the aircraft tilted over, catching the passengers by surprise.

"Seems like we were making a turn. The plane was going a little too fast and just slid off. That's what I took it as," Mike Allard said.

Allard said he is a pastor from the New Caney area and was returning home to conduct a funeral, but one of his associates had to step in due to the circumstances.

"I'm glad everybody's OK. I think the Lord was with us and protected us," he said.

The Houston Airport System said other flights in and out of IAH are continuing without interruption.

ABC13 first heard the Houston Fire Department reporting the incident on radio traffic around 8 a.m. HFD first reported an "alert two," which means a plane in the air has had some kind of incident that requires emergency response. Within minutes, HFD escalated it to an "alert three," which means a plane has had an incident on the ground.

The FAA issued the following statement:

"After landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, United Airlines Flight 2477 rolled onto the grass when exiting onto the taxiway around 8 a.m. local time on Friday, March 8. The passengers deplaned on the taxiway and were bused to the terminal. The Boeing 737 departed from Memphis International Airport. Please contact the airline for additional information. The FAA will investigate."

United says they will be working with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Association, and Boeing to understand what happened.