December 28, 1978
Portland, Oregon
United Air Lines, Flight 173
DC8-61
N802U
While on a flight from Denver to Portland, the aircraft ran out of fuel while the crew was
distracted
with a landing gear problem. Failure of the captain to monitor properly the
aircraft's fuel state and to
properly respond to the low fuel state as indicated by other
crew members. Contributing to the
accident was the failure of the other two flight crew
members either to fully comprehend the criticality
of the fuel state or to successfully
communicate their concern to the captain.
CAPT = Captain
F/O = First Officer
F/E = Flight Engineer
FLT ATT = Flight Attendant
APP = Approach Control
### = expletive
F/O | I think you've lost lost number four ... better get some crossfeeds open there or something |
FLT ATT | I'll go and make the five minute announcement - I'll be sitting down now. |
F/O | We're going to lose an engine! |
CAPT | Why? |
F/O | Fuel! |
F/O | Open the crossfeeds, man! |
F/E | We're going to lose number three in a minute, too - it's showing zero! |
CAPT | You've got a thousand pounds - you've got to. [emphatically] |
F/E | 5,000 in there ... but we lost it. |
CAPT | All right. |
F/E | Are you getting it back? |
F/O | No number four - you've got that crossfeed open? |
F/E | No, I haven't got it open. Which one? |
CAPT | Open 'em both - get some fuel in there! Got some fuel pressure? |
F/E | Yes sir. |
CAPT | Rotation! Now she's coming. OK - watch one and two. We're showing down to zero or a thousand. |
F/E | Yeah. |
CAPT | On number one? |
F/E | Right. |
F/O | Still not getting it. |
CAPT | Well, open all four crossfeeds. |
F/E | All four? |
CAPT | You've got to keep 'em running! |
F/E | Yes sir. |
F/O | Get this ### on the ground! |
F/E | Yeah - it's showing not very much more fuel. |
CAPT | [to Approach Control] United 173 has the field in sight now - we'd like to turn left for 28L. |
APP | OK - maintain 5,000. |
F/E | We're down to one on the totalizer. Number two is empty. |
CAPT | [to Approach Control] United 173 is going to turn towards the airport and come on in. |
APP | Turn left, heading 360 - and verify you have the airport in sight. |
CAPT | [to Approach Control] We have the airport in sight. |
APP | United 173 is cleared for visual approach - Runway 28L. |
CAPT | Reset that circuit breaker momentarily - see if we get gear lights. |
CAPT | Yeah - nose gear's down. |
CAPT | [to Approach Control] How far do you show us from the field? |
APP | I'd call it 18 flying miles. |
F/E | Boy, that fuel sure went to hell all of a sudden - I told you we had four. [four thousand pounds] |
CAPT | There's an interstate highway type thing along that bank on the river - in case we're short. |
CAPT | That's Troutdale [airport] over there - about six of one and half a dozen of the other. |
F/O | Let's take the shortest route to the airport. |
CAPT | [to Approach Control] What's our distance now? |
APP | 12 flying miles. |
CAPT | About three minutes - four. |
F/E | We've lost two engines guys! We just lost two engines - one and two. |
F/O | You've got all the pumps on and everything? |
F/E | Yep. |
APP | United 173, contact Portland Tower, 118.7 - you're about eight or niner flying miles from the airport. |
CAPT | They're all going - we can't make Troutdale! |
F/O | We can't make anything! |
F/O | Portland Tower, United 173, Mayday! We're... the engines are flaming out - we're going down! We're not going to be able to make the airport! |