ATC Transcript of Crash of United Airlines 232

On July 19, 1989, United Airlines flight 232 departed Denver at about 2:09 PM, climbed uneventfully to a cruise altitude of 37,000', and at approximately 3:16, the flight notified ATC center that the #2 engine had failed. The aircraft was only marginally stable at that point, and this is the rest of the story.

[July 19, 1989: 15:23 hrs.]

Center: Sioux City, got an emergency for you. Got a United aircraft, coming in, lost #2 engine, having a hard time controlling the aircraft right now, he's out of 29,000 right now, descending to Sioux City. Right now. He's east of your VOR but he wants the equipment standing by right now. He's east 40 miles

Sioux City: Radar contact.

[15:25]

Center: Did you say you had a radar on United Airlines 232?

Sioux City: Affirmative radar.

Center: He's having a hard time controlling the plane right now and trying to slow down and get steady on a heading. As soon as I get comfortable, I'll ship him over to you and he'll be in your control.

Sioux City: All right.

[15:26]

UAL 232: Sioux City approach, United Airlines 232 Heavy, with you out of 26. Heading right now is 290 and we've got about a 500-foot rate of descent. .... OK, So you know we have almost no controllability. Very little elevator, and almost no ailerons, we're controlling the turns by power. I don't think we can turn right, I think we can only make left turns. ?? We can only turn right, we can't turn left.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, understand, sir,you can only make right turns?

UAL 232: that's affirmative.

[15:27]

Sioux City: United 232, ...your present track puts you about 8 miles north of the airport,sir, and the only way we can get you around to 31 is a slight left turn with differential power or, if you can, jockey it over.

UAL 232: OK, we're in a right turn now. That's about the only way we can go. We'll be able to make very slight left turns on final, but right now just going to make right turns to whatever heading you want.

[15:29]

Sioux City: 32 heavy, say souls on board, and fuel remaining.

[15:32]

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, Sioux City.

UAL 232: Confirm we have no hydraulic fluid, which means we have no elevator control, almost none, and very little aileron control. I have serious doubts about making the airport. Have you got someplace near there, that we might be able to ditch? Unless we get control of this airplane, we're going to put it down wherever it happens to be.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, roger, standby ??

[15:36]

Sioux City: And United 232 Heavy, did you get the souls on board count.

UAL 232: Stand by, tell you, right now we don't even have time to let go and call the gal ....

Sioux City: Roger.

UAL 232: Two hundred ninety-two souls on board United 232.

Sioux City: Roger, thank you.

[15:40]

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, say again. 232 heavy, think you'll be able to hold about a 240 heading?

UAL 232: We're going to turn into it about right now.

Sioux City: When you turn to that 240 heading, sir, the airport will be about oh, 12 o'clock and 38 miles.

UAL 232: Okay, we're trying to control it just by power alone, we have no hydraulics at all, sir, we're doing our best, here.

Sioux City: Roger, and we've notified the equipment out in that area too, sir. The equipment's here on the airport, standing by, and they're sending some out to that area.

[15:46]

UAL 232. 232, we're going to have to continue in a right turn. We've got the elevators pretty much under control, but that's 3 or 4 hundred feet, but still can't do much with the steering.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, roger, understand you do have the elevators possibly under control, will you be able to hold altitude?

UAL 232: Negative, we don't have it. We're better, that's all.

Sioux City: Roger.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, there's a small airport 12 o'clock and seven miles. The runway's 4000' long, there.

UAL 232: Control, ?? myself right now, soon as the captain gets back on, he'll give me a hand here. He's talking on the PA.

Sioux City: Roger.

UAL 232: United 232, we're starting a left turn back to the airport. Since we have no hydraulics, braking is going to really be a problem. I would suggest the equipment be towards the far end of the runway. And I think under the circumstances, regardless of the condition of the airplane when we stop, we're going to evacuate, so you might notify the ground crew that we're going to do that.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, wilco, sir, and if you can continue that left turn, to about a 220 heading, sir, that'll take you right to the airport.

[15:47]

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, you're going to have to widen out just slightly to your left sir, to make the turn to final, and also to take you away from the city.

[15:51]

UAL 232: Whatever you do, keep us away from the city.

[15:53]

Sioux City: 232 heavy, be advised, there is a four-lane highway up in that area, sir, if you can pick that up.

UAL 232: Okay, we'll see what we can do, here. We've already put the gear down, and we're going to have to be putting on something solid, if we can.

Sioux City: United 232 Heavy, Roger. Can you pick up a road or something up there?

UAL 232: We're trying ....

[15:55]

Sioux City: United 232 Heavy, the airport is, oh,about 18 miles southeast of your position, about 220 on the heading. But we're going to need you southbound away from the city first, if you can hold a 180 heading.

UAL 232: We're trying to get to it right now .... OK, we're 180 degrees heading,now what do you want?

[15:56]

Sioux City: ... That heading will put you, oh,currently 15 miles northeast of the airport. If you can hold that, it will put you on about three-mile final.

UAL 232: OK, we're giving it heck.

[15:59]

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, roger, airport's currently at your 1 o'clock position, 10 miles.

UAL 232: OK, we're looking for it.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, if you can't make the airport, sir, there's an interstate that runs north to south to the east side of the airport, it's a four-lane interstate.

UAL 232: We're just passing it right now. We're going to try for the airport.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, roger, and advise me when you get the airport in site.

UAL 232: We have the runway in sight, and will be with you shortly. Thanks a lot for your help.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, winds currently 360 at 11, three sixty at eleven, you're cleared to land on any runway.

UAL 232: You don't want to be particular and make it a runway, huh?

Sioux City: ...010 at 11, and there's a runway that closed, sir, that could probably work too, it runs northeast to southwest.

UAL 232: We're pretty much lined up on this one, here, I think we will be.

Sioux City: United 232 heavy, roger sir, that's a closed runway, that'll work, sir. We're getting the equipment off the runway, and they'll line up to that one.

UAL 232: How long is it?

[16:00]

Sioux City: 6,600 feet, and the equipment is coming off.(Thirteen seconds elapse.) At the end of the runway, it's just awide open field, so, sir, the length won't be a problem.

UAL 232: OK.

[GPWS alarm on CVR]