United Pilot’s Lawsuit After Hard-Landing Incident Thrown Out by Federal Judge

2023 incident resulted in a buckling of the Boeing 767’s fuselage.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, May 02, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A United Boeing 767-300. [Shutterstock | Michael Derrer Fuchs]

Key Takeaways:

A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former United Airlines pilot Romullo Tadeu Melo Silva against the airline.
Silva claimed United falsely reported him as the pilot in command to the FAA following a July 2023 hard landing he flew, which led to his termination and inability to secure new employment.
The judge found the claim deficient due to insufficient information about the alleged report, qualified privilege for communications to government agencies like the FAA, and Silva's failure to demonstrate United acted with malice.
The NTSB's final report on the incident determined the hard landing and aircraft damage were caused by Silva's "improper control inputs" and the flight crew's "lack of recognition that the speedbrakes were not armed."

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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by former United Arilines pilot Romullo Tadeu Melo Silva, who claimed the airline defamed him following a hard-landing incident that damaged a Boeing 767-300 aircraft in Houston.

On July 29, 2023, United Flight 702, operating from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston, experienced what the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) later classified as a “hard landing” at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH).