 N999UA, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 1989 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 3, 1991 |
| Summary | Loss of control due to rudder hardover[1] |
| Site | Widefield Park, near Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, United States 38°44′09.4″N 104°42′42.4″W / 38.735944°N 104.711778°W |
| Total fatalities | 25 |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-291 |
| Operator | United Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | UA585 |
| ICAO flight No. | UAL585 |
| Call sign | UNITED 585 |
| Registration | N999UA |
| Flight origin | Greater Peoria Regional Airport |
| Stopover | Quad City International Airport |
| Last stopover | Stapleton International Airport |
| Destination | Colorado Springs Municipal Airport |
| Occupants | 25 |
| Passengers | 20 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 25 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled passenger flight on March 3, 1991, from Denver to Colorado Springs, Colorado, carrying 20 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The plane experienced a rudder hardover while on final approach to runway 35 at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, causing the plane to roll over and enter an uncontrolled dive. All 25 people on board the Boeing 737 were killed on impact.
The National Transportation Safety Board, (NTSB), was initially unable to resolve the cause of the crash, but after similar accidents and incidents involving Boeing 737 aircraft, the crash was determined to be caused by a defect in the design of the 737's rudder power control unit.[1]: ix