On December 24, a United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER was disconnected from its tug while being moved in Santiago de Chile International Airport (SCL). The aircraft kept on moving freely through the airport, as can be seen in a video uploaded to social media.

What happened?

Simple Flying reached United Airlines for a statement; this what the airline said,

“While one of our ground vendors was moving an aircraft in Santiago, Chile, the aircraft disconnected from the tug. No one was injured during this incident, and maintenance is reviewing the aircraft.” 

The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 767-300ER, registration N646UA, according to Radarbox.com. United was set to use this plane on the UA846 flight on December 25 between Santiago and Houston, but it had to be canceled. Currently, United expects to fly the aircraft back to Santiago on Sunday. “Your flight is canceled because we needed to take the plane out of service to address a technical issue,” reported the airline to the passengers.

N646UA is nearly 30 years old. United Airlines first ordered the aircraft in May 1989, according to ch-aviation’s database. The airline received the plane in March 1992, and it is expected to retire it in 2027. It has a capacity for 214 passengers, 138 in economy, 46 in economy plus, and 30 in Polaris business.

The whole incident at SCL got captured on camera and uploaded to social media by airport employees. They were onboard two vehicles and had to go back, avoiding the unmanned B767-300. While roaming uncontrolled through the airport, the United aircraft may have taken out a taxiway sign.

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United Airlines B767-300 fleet

Currently, United Airlines has 38 Boeing 767-300ERs. Six of them are inactive at the moment. Their registrations run from N641UA to N686UA, although N645UA, N650UA, N678UA, N679UA, N680UA, N681UA, N682UA, and N683UA are not B767-300ERs (or are not longer with the company).

United’s oldest 767-300 is 30.8 years old. The airline received this aircraft (N641UA) in April 1991. On the other hand, N686UA is the youngest, at 19 years old. United started operating this plane in 2018, as it previously flew with Hawaiian Airlines.

There are not enough pilots

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said 100 planes are grounded because of a pilot shortage.

While speaking in a Senate hearing, Kirby told legislators there are not enough pilots to fill the ongoing demand in the US airline industry. As reported by Business Insider, he added,

“There has been a looming pilot shortage for the last decade in the United States, and going through COVID, it became an actual pilot shortage.”

United Airlines has 100 regional aircraft grounded because there are not enough pilots to fly them. This shortage is impacting smaller communities.

The shortage could become an issue if US carriers can’t recruit enough pilots for regional routes in the near future. According to Kirby, the airline is looking to train 5,000 new pilots by the end of the decade. Nonetheless, financing is one of the main problems, since pilots have to spend approximately US$150,000 to learn the job and get certified.

What do you think of the United Airlines incident? Have you heard of a similar story before? Let us know in the comments below.