A United Express flight landing in Charlottesville experienced a scare after its right wing tip impacted the runway during an attempt to touch down. The aircraft — a Skywest-operated Bombardier CRJ-700 — conducted a go-around after the wing strike and landed safely on its second attempt.
While the aircraft ultimately landed safely, questions are being asked about the safety of performing a go-around after the wing struck the runway. The CRJ-700 remained grounded in Charlottesville for over 48 hours before flying to Tucson, which is home to a major SkyWest Airlines maintenance base.
United Express CRJ-700 Wing Tip Impact During Landing
As reported by the Aviation Herald, the incident occurred on December 29 during the final phase of United Express Flight 5532 from 
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Charlottesville-Abermale Airport (CHO). The morning flight departed Chicago at 08:53 am — more than 90 minutes after its scheduled 07:10 am departure time — and was in the air for over 90 minutes before its arrival in Charlottesville.
|
Date |
December 29 |
|
Airline |
SkyWest Airlines (operated for United Express) |
|
Flight |
UA 5532 |
|
Aircraft |
Bombardier CRJ-700 (N779SK) |
|
Depart |
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) |
|
Arrive |
Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO) |
Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft’s first attempt at a landing ended with a go-around, and it was during this attempt that the wing strike reportedly occurred. There hasn’t been any video footage of the incident posted publicly so far, so it isn’t clear just how damaging this impact was. The CRJ-700 went around and made a successful landing on the second attempt around 15 minutes later, with no passenger or crew injuries reported. In this event, the flight crew decided that a go-around would be the safer maneuver rather than committing to the initial landing attempt.
As per a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) statement,
“AIRCRAFT RIGHT WING STRUCK THE RUNWAY DURING LANDING, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.”
Aircraft Likely Headed For Maintenance
The aircraft involved in this incident was a 16-year-old CRJ-700 registered as N779SK. The regional jet can accommodate up to 70 passengers in two cabin classes, with six in business and 64 in economy, which includes 16 economy plus seats. The airframe was delivered to Skywest in May 2009 and has been flying under the United Express regional brand ever since.
After spending over two days on the ground in Charlottesville, N779SK repositioned to Tucson International Airport (TUS), which takes more than four hours by air. This is almost certainly to undergo a period of maintenance and repairs, as Tucson is the home of SkyWest’s new Maintenance Hangar Facility, which includes a 100,000-square-foot hangar area capable of servicing up to six large aircraft.
The timeline of N779SK’s return to service isn’t known at this stage. Simple Flying has reached out to Skywest for comment on this incident and will update this story accordingly.
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Wing Tip Strikes
An aircraft is much more likely to experience a tail strike during the takeoff or landing phase, with wing tip strikes a relatively rare occurrence. While a lot of planes are partially protected from tail strikes through the use of a tail skid, they do not have such protection in the event of a wing strike.
The wing area of an aircraft can be particularly dangerous if damaged, as it houses critical components as well as the majority of fuel storage. In this instance, it is being reported that the wing tip made contact with the runway, but this could easily have caused a degree of damage further down the wing.
Given the dangers of continuing to fly an aircraft with a compromised wing, such events are taken very seriously by airlines and will typically see an aircraft pulled from service for an extended period of time to inspect and repair any damage. Improper repairs are where the real danger lies with minor scrapes, as hidden structural damage can occur that slowly compromises the structural integrity of the aircraft over time, particularly after repeated pressurization cycles.
#United #Express #Bombardier #CRJ700 #Strikes #Wing #Tip #Landing #Charlottesville
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