Boeing 777-222 N220UA

Summary

On 14 December 2007 at about 21:55 local time, a Boeing 777-222 registered N220UA was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 264 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 December 2007 at 21:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD)

Coordinates

41.9786, -87.9047

Aircraft

Boeing 777-222

Registration

N220UA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shanghai → Chicago

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI08FA050

1 person was seriously injured.

Emergency evacuation due to dense smoke in the cabin and the possibility of an on-board fire, which resulted in a serious injury to one of the 264 passengers and crew. An additional cause was the failure of an engine bearing, allowing oil to migrate into the environmental system, and resulted in the smoke in the cabin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On approach for landing, about 13 miles from the airport, the flight crew was informed that the cabin was filling with smoke. The cabin crew was unable to determine the source of the smoke. The captain declared an emergency in order to get the airplane on the ground as soon as possible. The first officer performed a normal landing and turned off on the first high-speed taxiway, at which time he noticed a low oil indication on the right engine. The engine was subsequently shut down. The captain elected to initiate an emergency evacuation due to the uncertainty of the situation and the possibility of a fire on-board. During the evacuation, one passenger sustained a fracture of a vertebra. Post accident examinations revealed a low oil quantity in the right engine, with metallic deposits on one of the engine chip detectors. A detailed teardown inspection of the right engine revealed the #2 bearing had failed. The compressor gas path exhibited oil deposits consistent with oil migration into the airplane's environmental system. The cabin pressurization system utilized 8th and 15th stage engine compressor bleed air. No evidence of an engine or cabin fire was observed. The engine manufacturer had released an improved bearing design prior to the accident. At that time, the operator began replacing the bearings on an attrition basis when the original bearings were no longer serviceable. However, the operator has revised that policy and is proactively replacing the original bearings, regardless of the condition, with the improved bearings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.