However, on the day of the incident, the North Local Control Tower (NLC) was closed.

Ten knots prior to the Vr speed, the aircraft lifted off and overflew GTI6972 with only 35 feet to spare.

[5][3]: 3–4 According to the analysis, before United Airlines Flight 1015 was given permission for takeoff, the air traffic controller was facing a ton of distractions.

When UAL1015 asked permission for takeoff, the SLC glanced out the window to Runway 14R and didn't spot an aircraft.

Then he was verifying the distance of United Airlines Flight 938, the aircraft which departed Runway 14R, to ensure adequate wake turbulence separation.

[5][3]: 3–4 After the investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the South Local Control Tower's (SLC) failure to monitor Atlas Air Flight 6972 and United Airlines Flight 1015 caused a loss of separation between the two aircraft.