Two Passengers Taken To Hospital Following Hard Landing At ORD

A United Airlines Airbus A320 with 127 people onboard went off the runway following a hard landing at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Tuesday night, resulting in two dented engine nacelles and at least two passenger injuries.

"We came down and as we landed, the first thing that happened is we just hit -- real hard, on the first impact," passenger Andy Pasternak told Chicago's NBC5 after the incident, which involved Flight 628 from Seattle. "It was unusually hard."

The aircraft blew a right maingear tire on landing, and departed runway 22 right at approximately 2030 CDT Tuesday. The aircraft then rolled back onto the runway, before coming to a stop.

"The engine must have, at that point, started hitting something, hitting some objects on the ground," Pasternak said. "Because there were very significant dents in the engine that you could see."

The aircraft was able to taxi to the gate under its own power. Two people onboard were taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries, and a flight attendant was also reportedly injured.

"It was the hardest hit I've ever had in an airplane, and we fly every week," said another passenger, Ron Bellamy.

UAL representatives declined to be interview, saying only the airline would investigate... and that safety was the carrier's Number 1 priority.

According to Bellamy, United pilots also have a gift for understatement.

"The pilot did say something" after the incident, Bellamy said. "He said 'Welcome to Chicago!'"

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 431UA        Make/Model: A320      Description: A-320
  Date: 10/10/2007     Time: 0134

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: CHICAGO   State: IL   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  N431UA, UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 628, AN AIRBUS A320 AIRCRAFT, LANDED HARD,
  BLEW A RIGHT MAIN TIRE, WENT OFF THE RUNWAY, RE-ENTERED THE RUNWAY AND
  TAXIED TO THE GATE, TWO PERSONS ON BOARD SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES, DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT SUBSTANTIAL, CHICAGO, IL

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   5     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   1
                 # Pass: 122     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   1
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: 0051Z 30017G23 10SM CLR 16/14 A2991

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Business      Phase: Landing      Operation: Air Carrier

  FAA FSDO: WEST CHICAGO, IL  (GL03)              Entry date: 10/10/2007

FMI: www.united.com, www.faa.gov