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| Date: | Wednesday 10 June 2009 |
| Time: | 12:30 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 757-222 |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | N570UA |
| MSN: | 26678/501 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Engine model: | P & W PW2037(M) |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 192 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Denver, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A United Airlines Boeing 757-222, N570UA, experienced a tailpipe fire on the No. 2, right, engine, a Pratt & Whitney PW2037(M) during engine start at the Denver International Airport. The airplane's right wing in back of the engine and adjacent fuselage suffered minor damage. Interrogation of the cockpit engine display showed several faults related to the electronic engine control (EEC) burner pressure (Pb) sensors. The interrogation of the cockpit engine display also showed the Pb indications were abnormally high for an engine start. Fuel is scheduled to the an engine as a function of Pb. So a high Pb indication would consequently result in a high fuel flow to the engine. Because the engine was just starting, the limited amount of airflow through the engine was insufficient for the excessive amount of fuel and resulted in a tailpipe fire. The EEC was removed from the engine and sent to the manufacturer for testing. The testing could not identify a cause for the malfunction and subsequent tailpipe fire.
Probable Cause: There was a malfunction of the electronic engine control (EEC) burner pressure (Pb) sensor that had an abnormally high indication that resulted in an excessive amount of fuel being pumped into the engine that was still at a sub-idle condition. Because the engine was still accelerating to idle, the limited airflow through the engine engine was insufficient for the amount of fuel and resulted in a tailpipe fire. The cause of the EEC's Pb sensor fault could not be determined.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ENG09IA007
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 23 September 2001 | N570UA | United Airlines | 0 | Indianapolis International Airport, IN (IND/KIND) | |
non |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2024 07:50 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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