2:09 p.m. United Airlines Flight 232 takes off from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, bound for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
3:16 p.m. As the plane makes a shallow right turn at 37,000 feet over Alta, Iowa, the fan disk in the tail engine disintegrates with a jolt felt throughout the aircraft. Fragments pierce the tail and rupture lines of the plane’s three hydraulic systems, which leads to the loss of all flight controls.
3:23 p.m. Minneapolis air traffic controllers to Sioux City controllers: “Sioux City, got an emergency for you.”
Sioux City: “All right.”
Minneapolis: “I’ve got a United aircraft coming in, lost No. 2 engine, having a hard time controlling the aircraft right now. ... He wants the equipment standing by right now. ... He’s east 40 miles ...”
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Sioux City: “Radar contact.”
3:25 p.m. Minneapolis: “Did you say you had a radar on United Airlines 232?”
Sioux City: “Affirmative radar.”
Minneapolis: “He’s having a hard time controlling the plane right now and trying to slow down and get steady. ... As soon as I get comfortable, I’ll ship him over to you and he’ll be in your control.”
Sioux City: “All right.”
3:26 p.m. United 232: “Sioux City Approach, United Airlines 232 Heavy (wide body), with you out of 26 (26,000 feet altitude). ... We’ve got about a 500-foot rate of descent. ... OK, so you know we have almost no control ability, very little elevator and almost no aileron (to control movement of the aircraft up and down or left to right). We are controlling the turns by power. ... We can only turn right, but we can’t turn left.”
Sioux City: “United 232 Heavy, understand, sir, you can only make right turns.”
3:27 p.m. Sioux City: “... Present track puts you about 8 miles north of the airport, sir, and the only way we can get you around to (Runway) 31 is a slight left turn with differential power or, if you can, jockey it over.”
United 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 (direction) you want.”
3:29 p.m. Sioux City: “... (S)ay souls on board and fuel remaining.”
3:32 p.m. United 232: “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, roger. Stand by.”
3:36 p.m. Sioux City: “And United 232 Heavy, did you get the souls on board count?”
United 232: “Stand by, tell you, right now we don’t even have time to let go and call the gal. ...”
Sioux City: “Roger.”
United 232: “Two hundred-ninety-two souls on board United 232.” (The actual count was 296: 285 passengers and 11 crew members.)
Sioux City: “Roger, thank you.”
3:40 p.m. Sioux City: “(T)hink you’ll be able to hold about a 240 heading?”
United 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.”
United 232: “OK, 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.”
3:43 p.m. United 232: “... (W)e’re going to have to continue in a right turn. We’ve got the elevators pretty much under control ... but still can’t do much ... steering.”
Sioux City: “... (U)nderstand you do have the elevators possibly under control. Will you be able to hold the altitude?”
United 232: “Negative. We don’t have it. We are better, that’s all.”
Sioux City: “Roger.”
3:46 p.m. Sioux City: “... (T)here’s a small airport 12 o’clock and 7 miles. The runway’s 4,000 feet long there.”
United 232: “... (S)oon as the captain gets back on he’ll give me a hand here. He’s talking on the PA.”
United 232: “... (W)e’re starting a left turn back to the airport. Since we have no hydraulics, braking is going to really be a problem. Ah, we suggest the equipment be ... toward 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: “... If you can continue that left turn to a 220 heading, sir, that’ll take you right to the airport.”
3:51 p.m. Sioux City: “... (Y)ou’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.”
United 232: “Whatever you do, keep us away from the city.”
3:53 p.m. Sioux City: “... (B)e advised there is a four-lane highway up in that area, sir, if you can pick that up.”
United 232: “OK, we’ll see what we can do here. We’ve already put the gear down, and we’re going to have to put it down on something solid if we can.”
3:54 p.m. United 232: “We’ve got about three or four minutes to go, it looks like.”
Sioux City: “... (C)an you pick up a road or something up there?’’
United 232: “We’re trying ...”
3:55 p.m. Sioux City: “... 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.”
United 232: “We’re trying to get to it right now. ... OK, we’re 180 degrees heading. Now what do you want?”
3:56 p.m. 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 3-mile final.’’
United 232: “OK, we’re giving it heck.”
3:57 p.m. Sioux City: “United 232 Heavy, the airport’s currently 12 o’clock and 13 miles.”
United 232: “OK, we’re looking for it.”
Sioux City: “... (R)oger, airport’s currently at your 1 o’clock position, 10 miles.”
3:58 p.m. Sioux City: “... (I)f you cannot make the airport, sir, there is an Interstate that runs north to south to the east side of the airport. It’s a four-lane Interstate.”
United 232: “We’re just passing it right now. We’re going to try for the airport.”
Sioux City: “... (A)dvise when you get the airport in sight.”
United 232: “Have runway in sight. We’ll be with you very shortly. Thanks a lot for your help.”
3:59 p.m. Sioux City: “... (W)inds currently three-six-zero at one-one, three-sixty at eleven. You’re cleared to land on any runway.”
United 232: (Laughter) “You want to be particular and make it a runway, huh.”
Sioux City: “... (T)here is a runway that’s closed, sir, that could probably work, too. It runs northeast to southwest.”
United 232: “We’re pretty much lined up on this one, or we think we will be.”
Sioux City: “That closed runway will work, sir. We’re getting the equipment off the runway and they’ll line up for that one.”
United 232: “How long is it?”
4:00 p.m. Sioux City: “6,600 feet, and the equipment is coming off.” (Thirteen seconds elapse.) “At the end of the runway it’s just a wide-open field, so, sir, the length won’t be a problem.”
United 232: “OK.”
Twelve seconds elapse, then the aircraft’s Ground Proximity Warning System alarm sounds at 4:01 p.m.
Jumbled ground communications, followed by:
Ground #1: “Orville, what’s the situation out there?”
Ground #2: (Garbled response)
Ground #1: “10-4, you’re going to need a lot of additional assistance out there, it sounds like.”
Ground #2: “10-4, I’ve got Engine 3, Engine 5 and Truck 3. I’m going out to the scene. I’ll advise you in just a few minutes.”
Ground #1: “10-4, I’m going to go ahead and go en route out there to the command post. Let me advise anything that you need. I’ll have the comm center go ahead and notify emergency hospitals and also the ambulances.”
All times are Central Daylight Time.
Information gathered by World-Herald staff writer David Hendee from Federal Aviation Administration transcripts of the cockpit recorder, and news reports.