Boeing 737 Skids off Runway at George Bush Intercontinental Houston

On Friday morning, a United Airlines flight took an unexpected detour at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The Boeing 737 aircraft, arriving from Memphis International Airport, veered off the runway around 8 a.m. while taxiing toward the gate.

The flight, carrying 160 passengers and six crew members, came to rest on the grassy area adjacent to the tarmac. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among those on board, all of whom safely disembarked onto the taxiway. From there, they were shuttled to the terminal.

Despite the incident, airport operations continued as usual. Flights arriving and departing the airport faced no significant delays or cancellations, according to a spokesperson for Houston Airports.

The cause of the runway excursion remains unclear, prompting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This occurrence adds to a string of recent aviation incidents involving United Airlines. Earlier in the week, a flight from Texas to Florida made an emergency landing due to engine trouble, while just last month, another United flight experienced complications with its rudder pedals after touching down at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. These incidents have raised concerns and led to investigations by aviation safety authorities.

Boeing finds itself under more scrutiny as a fresh federal investigation delves into a recent incident involving a 737 Max aircraft operated by United Airlines. Last month, pilots reported a troubling malfunction during landing at Newark Airport.

According to the preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the pilots of the Boeing 737 Max 8 encountered a problem with the rudder pedals, which control the yaw of the aircraft, during the landing rollout. Despite the issue, none of the 161 passengers on United flight 1539 suffered injuries, and the plane safely returned to the gate.

United maintenance crews were able to replicate the reported malfunction during a subsequent test flight, leading to further investigation. This incident marks the latest in a series of concerns surrounding the Boeing 737 Max, following an earlier door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9.

The NTSB revealed that the aircraft involved had been delivered from Boeing to United Airlines in February 2023. The investigation uncovered that a servo connected to the rudder controls, manufactured by Collins Aerospace, was disabled by United Airlines. Subsequent tests revealed that the servo’s output crank arm hindered the movement of the rudder pedals.

United Airlines expressed gratitude toward its pilots and maintenance teams for their professionalism in addressing the issue and pledged to collaborate with Boeing, the NTSB, and the FAA on the next steps for these aircraft.

While this is the first reported instance of such an issue on a 737 Max, similar occurrences were noted twice in 2019 on the previous model, the 737 Next Generation. Boeing, in cooperation with United Airlines, successfully resolved the issue through part replacements, ensuring the safe return of the aircraft to service.