Terrifying new video shows moment United Boeing 737 skids on wet runway as cockpit transcript reveals pilots' panic
New documents revealed a pilot's concerns after a United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX veered off the wet runway after landing in Houston on March 8, 2024.
By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Published: 21:29 GMT, 1 January 2026 | Updated: 21:57 GMT, 1 January 2026
Newly released surveillance footage captured the moment a United Boeing aircraft skidded off a wet runway in Texas as the pilot panicked in the cockpit.
The United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX veered off the tarmac after landing in Houston on March 8, 2024.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a trove of documents on Wednesday with new details about the incident.
About 160 passengers were on board the flight that departed from Memphis, and there were no reported injuries. The incident is still under investigation, and the cause has not been determined.
Surveillance footage from George Bush Intercontinental Airport showed the Boeing aircraft unable to slow down on the run and skidding into the grass.
A transcript of cockpit audio also revealed the conversation between Captain Alireza Johartchi and first officer Michael Dickson during the incident.
As the plane touched down on the runway, Johartchi told Dickson, 'I'm gonna roll it to the end' before he apparently struggled to slow the plane.
'Oh my god, I can't believe that happened. God darn it. I am so sorry,' Johartchi said.
New surveillance footage shows the moment a United Boeing 737 MAX skidded while coming into land on a wet runway in 2024
A United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX veered off the wet runway after landing in Houston on March 8, 2024
Newly released National Transportation Safety Board revealed the pilot's cockpit conversation after the incident
The captain apologized to Dickson several times and asked the flight attendants whether any passengers were injured.
Johartchi said, 'Can't believe I did this', 'Sorry, man, to get you into this mess,' and 'Oh God, this is crazy.'
He also told Dickson, 'I thought it was gonna stop. Dude, I am so frickin' sorry to get you in this. I am so sorry.'
An NTSB performance study determined the Boeing 737-8 MAX failed to decelerate sufficiently before trying to exit the runway, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Investigators found the plane did not slow down because the crew eased off the key braking systems on the wet runway.
The speed brakes retracted after the plane touched down, which disengaged the automatic brakes, and reverse thrust was later reduced, making it harder to slow the aircraft.