A final report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that a United first officer was responsible for a “hard landing” nearly two years ago in Houston.
The final report, published on January 15, 2025, determined the first officer’s “improper control inputs after the airplane touched down” and the flight crew’s “lack of recognition that the speedbrakes were not armed” caused their delayed deployment.
On July 29, 2023, a Boeing 767-300 operating United flight 702, was damaged while landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. None of the 202 passengers and crew aboard the airplane were injured in the incident.
According to the report, the first officer – identified from his lawsuit against United as Romullo Tadeu Melo Silva – was the pilot flying, and the captain was the pilot monitoring.
After an uneventful departure and cruise segment of the flight, Silva stated he held aft pressure on the control yoke to keep the nosewheel from hitting the runway after the main landing gear touched down. However, the nosewheel hit the runway with “abnormal force” and the airplane seemed to bounce.
That’s when Silva pulled the control yoke back to keep the nosewheel from hitting the runway a second time.
“Flight data recorder (FDR) data indicated that control column inputs ranged from about 5° nose high to 5° nose low during the landing,” the report stated. “Data also indicated that the speedbrakes deployed simultaneously as the thrust reversers transitioned from not deployed to deployed, and the nosewheel bounced a second time. Subsequently, the nosewheel contacted the runway a third time and the airplane began to decelerate.”
The captain assumed control of the airplane and the remainder of the landing rollout was normal. Photos included in the report show the Boeing 767’s left fuselage was damaged in the landing.
The aircraft remained out of service for several months as repairs were made.
Silva Sues United
After being pulled from flight duty following the incident – and eventually being terminated – Silva filed a lawsuit against United in December 2024 alleging the carrier falsely reported that he was the pilot in command of the flight.
According to Silva’s complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Silva was not the pilot in command of the flight. He said that his captain – the other pilot on the flight – was the pilot in command and “failed to arm the speed brake on the aircraft.”
While Silva does affirm that he was landing the jet, he argued that the touchdown “was not hard.”
In his complaint, Silva stated that the airline pulled him from flight duty on July 29, 2023, and he was not allowed to return to service until September 30, 2023. He would later be sent to a landing-only simulator by the carrier.
Silva said that no simulator preparation was provided for the testing, wherein a pilot operates an aircraft with a senior pilot to determine whether the testing pilot is ready to fly passengers. He alleged that the senior pilot he eventually flew with on October 12, 2023, was “hostile, degrading and intimidating.”
After the ride, Silva was failed by the senior pilot and terminated by United. Afterward, Silva alleges United filed a report with the Federal Aviation Administration falsely stating he was the pilot in command on the flight.
“As a result of this report, Mr. Silva’s record with the FAA has been substantially tarnished, and he has been unable to fly for any other air carrier, including private carriers under 14 CFR Part 135,” the complaint stated.
Silva was hired as a first officer at United in February 2023, just seven months before the incident. He was formerly a flight attendant at the airline.
The complaint alleged the carrier defamed Silva through its FAA report and requested payment for damages. United has yet to file its response to the complaint and has an extended deadline until Feb. 19, 2025, to do so.
