'Brakes shook violently' on Boeing 737 before United Airlines flight skidded off Houston runway

The pilot of a Boeing 737 Max involved in a concerning incident reported that the brakes began to shake "violently" as they attempted to slow down on the runway before the plane skidded off the tarmac.

An initial report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the pilot had turned off the autobrakes on the Boeing 737 Max before landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas . According to the report, the co-pilot of the United Airlines flight believed the runway looked wet, while the pilot thought it was dry.

The crew reportedly felt the "touchdown was uneventful" and carried out "at an appropriate speed, and within the touchdown zone." The NTSB stated that the captain "did not 'slow too much initially' because the runway appeared dry, he wanted to expedite their time on the runway, and because he preferred decelerating gradually for passenger comfort."

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The pilot "said he applied the brakes manually using the toe brakes at about 6,000 feet from the end of the runway but felt as if the deceleration was less than normal," according to the NTSB report. The preliminary investigation from the investigative agency indicated that data from the flight recorder showed manual braking did not start until the aircraft was around 4,000 feet from the end of the runway.

The captain began to grow "concerned" as they neared the runway's end, ramping up the pressure on the brakes and veering onto a taxiway. The report details that the captain "felt the fuselage and rudder/brake pedals begin to shake violently."

It revealed: "He briefly released the brake pressure and the shaking ceased. He then reapplied aggressive brake pressure and the shaking resumed. The airplane slid off the runway and the left MLG tires and nose wheels tires entered the grass before the airplane came to a rest with its left wing low."

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Both Boeing and United Airlines have been asked for a response by The Mirror. The NTSB has yet to reach a conclusion on the cause of the event, where United Airlines Flight 2477 ended up precariously balanced half on and half off the runway, significantly damaged.

Although the left main landing gear was torn off, thankfully, there were no injuries among the six crew members and 160 passengers aboard. After making contact with a concrete structure, the landing main gear got severed.

The report stated: "A post-accident examination of the accident site revealed that the left MLG tires had impacted a large concrete "manhole" designed as an electrical junction box for lights/utilities at the airport."

"As a result of the impact, the left MLG separated from the airplane at the fuse pins near the rear spar as designed to prevent more severe damage to surrounding structures. The airplane came to rest on the left engine nacelle, left winglet, and aft fuselage and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aft fuselage."