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Edwin Yii

38 hurt in Continental 737-500 crash in Denver

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38 people were injured as Continental Airlines Boeing 737-524 N18611 (cn 27324) crashed on a flight from Denver to Houston Saturday night. The 737 was reportedly taking off from the Denver International Airport when something went wrong, causing the aircraft to leave the runway surface and crash into a ravine where it caught fire. Passengers were evacuated via inflatable slides; no life threatening injuries were reported, and there was no immediate word on the cause of the accident.

 

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'Miracle' no deaths in burning jet: firefighter

December 22, 2008 - 8:24AM

Firefighters it was a miracle no one was killed when an airliner veered sharply off a runway during takeoff, burst into flames and nearly broke apart in Texas yesterday.

 

There was no official word on the possible cause of the crash of Continental Flight 1404 at Denver International Airport. Federal aviation investigators arrived at the airport on Sunday afternoon.

 

The entire right side of the Boeing 737 was burned in the Saturday evening accident and melted plastic from overhead compartments dripped onto the seats.

 

"It was a miracle ... that everybody survived the impact and the fire," said Bill Davis, an assistant Denver fire chief assigned to the airport. "It was just amazing."

 

A crack encircled much of the fuselage near the trailing edge of the wings, and the left engine had broken loose and come to a rest about nine metres away, Davis said.

 

Davis, one of the firefighters who rushed to the scene, said the plane came to a rest about 200 metres from one of the airport's four fire stations. He said passengers walked out of the ravine in minus 4 degrees celsius cold and crowded inside the station.

 

The 110 passengers and five crew members left the plane on emergency slides, officials said.

 

Passenger Emily Pellegrini said that as the plane headed down the runway, "It was bumpy, then it was bumpier, then it wasn't bumpy".

 

She told The Denver Post she wasn't sure the plane ever lifted off before veering hard to the right.

 

Thirty-eight people suffered injuries including broken bones. Two people were initially listed in critical condition at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver but were upgraded Sunday, one to serious and one to fair, spokeswoman Tonya Ewers said.

 

Continental Airlines spokeswoman Julie King said fewer than seven people were still in the hospital Sunday morning. She declined to comment on the types of injuries.

 

Five of the six airport's six runways were reopened Sunday morning and airport officials didn't expect any delays related to airport operations, said airport spokesman Jeff Green.

 

The weather was cold but not snowy when the plane took off on a flight to Houston Saturday evening.

 

The plane veered off course about 600 metres from the end of the runway and did not appear to have gotten airborne, city aviation manager Kim Day said. Debris was scattered on the runway about 200 metres from the wrecked plane.

 

The plane came to a rest in a shallow, snow-covered ravine between runways. Flat land is rare on the plains abutting the Rocky Mountains near Denver, and the airport was built on gently rolling country. The runways are elevated so rain and snow will drain away.

 

AP

 

http://www.theage.com.au/world/miracle-no-...81222-735p.html

 

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The 737-500 is a write off.

 

Both engine damaged with one broke off, interior burned, fuselage broke in 2.

 

Azuddin

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From avherald with updates

 

Accident: Continental B735 at Denver on Dec 20th 2008, veered off departure runway and burst into flames

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Dec 21st 2008 06:18Z, last updated Monday, Dec 22nd 2008 00:12Z

 

A Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500, registration N18611 performing flight CO-1404 from Denver,CO to Houston,TX (USA) with 110 passengers and 5 crew on board, veered off Denver's runway 34R around 2000 feet (approx. 600 meters) into the takeoff run at 6:18pm local (Dec 21st 01:18Z), went down a ravine north of the west fire station and burst into flames. All people got out of the airplane using slides on both sides of the airplane, 58 of the 115 people on board received injuries ranging from broken bones to bruises. Two passengers were reported to be in critical condition, but their status was upgraded to one serious and one fair during Sunday.

 

The airplane received damages beyond repair, the gear ripped off, the right wing torn off and the fuselage broken. The airplane's right side caught fire, the fire extended into the interior of the fuselage and passenger cabin, overhead lockers melting onto the seats. Around 100 fire fighters were able to quickly contain and finally extinguish the fire despite a continuing fuel leak.

 

The west runways (34L/R) were closed, while the east runways (35L/R) continued to operate. Flights in and out of Denver were delayed Saturday, airlines advised passengers to call ahead during Sunday to confirm the status of their flights. Runway 34L was reopened Sunday morning, while runway 34R remains closed until the NTSB has concluded their on site investigation and collection of evidence. The airport is confident, that there will be no delays.

 

The NTSB have dispatched a go team of 15 investigators. In a press conference on Sunday (Dec 21st) the NTSB said, that both flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered and sent to Washington. Runway 34R will remain closed until collection of evidence is finished. The airplane is expected to remain on its current location for a few more days.

 

Airport Officials said, the airplane experienced 30 knots cross wind during its takeoff run.

 

Continental Airlines revised the initial figure of 107 passengers and 5 crew to 110 passengers and 5 crew in an updated press release.

 

Today (Dec 21st) the airport reported 58 people injured[/], two of them in critical condition, later changed the two critical to one severe and one fair condition. 5 people remain in hospital care. Most of the injuries occured during the evacuation over one slide on the left hand side, which did not reach down to the ground, but ended about 6 feet (2 meters) above ground. All fractures resulted from that fall.

 

More pic and runway and course of airplane at avherald.

 

 

 

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Brakes looked at in Continental runway incident

- WSJ Sun Dec 21, 2008 7:08pm EST

 

NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Braking problems may be to blame for a Continental Airlines flight running off a runway in Denver this week-end, according to an online report in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

 

On Saturday, a Continental-operated Boeing 737 failed to take off from Denver en route to Houston. The airplane subsequently ran off the runway, dramatically catching on fire, and leaving many of those on board with injuries.

 

The Journal, citing people familiar with early data gathered by investigators, said preliminary indications point to a braking malfunction.

 

No safety officials have officially commented, according to the report.

 

"We cannot speculate on the cause of the accident," said Continental spokeswoman Julie King, adding that the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the accident investigation.

 

Boeing was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Lilla Zuill and Michael Erman; editing by Gary Crosse)

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Firefighters it was a miracle no one was killed when an airliner veered sharply off a runway during takeoff, burst into flames and nearly broke apart in Texas yesterday.

 

There was no official word on the possible cause of the crash of Continental Flight 1404 at Denver International Airport. Federal aviation investigators arrived at the airport on Sunday afternoon.

 

Last I check Denver was in Colorado, no?

 

Anyway, looks like an RTO gone wrong. So what caused the RTO? Very good news that everybody was safe.

 

 

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Last I check Denver was in Colorado, no?

 

 

Correct capt, Denver is in Colorado. I've been there. Very big airport.

 

Azuddin

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Continental Airliner Runs Off Runway, 38 Injured

 

December 21, 2008

Thirty-eight passengers were injured when a Boeing 737 airliner went off a runway and caught fire at Denver International Airport on Saturday night, Denver Aviation Manager Kim Day said.

 

None of the injuries were life-threatening, but the injured passengers were taken to area hospitals, Day told reporters at a news conference.

 

There were 112 passengers and crew members on the 737, Continental Airlines flight 1404, which was taking off en route to Houston, Day said.

 

Denver assistant fire chief Steve Garrod said the plane "crashed, caught fire" and flames extended into the cabin. He said the right wing was cracked, as was the fuselage.

 

The fire chief said he did not believe the plane had become fully airborne because if it had, "you would have seen a lot more damage."

 

Denver's temperature was about 10 degrees, but "ice was not a factor," Garrod said. He said passengers apparently evacuated using emergency slides.

 

(Reuters)

 

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Continental 737 recorders yield 'good data'

 

Tuesday December 23, 2008

Five passengers remained in the hospital yesterday as the US National Transportation Safety Board's Go Team continued to investigate the Saturday evening crash of a Continental Airlines 737-500 that veered from Denver International Airport's runway 34R while on its takeoff roll, crossed a field and a taxiway, careened down a 40-ft. hill and caught fire.

 

None of the 110 passengers and five crew aboard CO Flight 1404 en route to Houston Intercontinental were killed, though some 38 initially were taken to hospitals with injuries, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The left engine separated from the wing, the undercarriage collapsed and passengers were evacuated via slides as the aircraft's right side burned.

 

The plane first flew in 1994 and was powered by CFM56-3C1s. An NTSB investigator told The Denver Post that the agency hoped to conclude its on-site work by Wednesday.

 

US FAA records show the aircraft made an emergency landing at DEN in 1995 following an engine failure, according to press reports. No injuries were reported and the engine was replaced.

 

The flight data and cockpit voice recorders were reviewed Sunday and produced "good data," an NTSB spokesperson told the Associated Press. The pilots reportedly were scheduled to be interviewed yesterday. FAA said winds at DEN were 31 mph Saturday and weather was described as clear. Five of the airport's six runways were open yesterday.

 

 

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'Rattling' sound, takeoff abort anchor Continental investigation

 

Wednesday December 24, 2008

Accident investigators are looking into what caused the pilots of a Continental Airlines 737-500 to abort takeoff on Saturday evening in Denver, where the aircraft veered from the runway into a ravine in an accident that destroyed the plane and injured 38.

 

According to press reports, investigators are looking into a "rattling" sound on the cockpit recorder that began 41 sec. after the brakes were released and the aircraft started down Denver International's 12,000-ft. Runway 34R. Four sec. later, one member of the cockpit crew called for an abort and both thrust reversers were activated. At that point, the 737 had traveled an estimated 2,000-2,500 ft., according to reports. At 51 sec. the recording stopped.

 

CO Flight 1404 was headed to Houston Intercontinental with 110 passengers and five crew. Five occupants were hospitalized overnight, including Capt. David Butler, according to the Houston Chronicle. Butler has been with CO for 11 years.

 

A US National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson told reporters that no problems have been found so far with the aircraft's engines, brakes or tires. "The brakes showed no leaks, no locked brakes," the spokesperson said, according to CNN, adding that the pads "looked good."

 

According to the Associated Press, an NTSB interview with the copilot indicated that the aircraft drifted from the runway's center as it reached 103 mph. Winds reportedly reached 31 mph, but the spokesperson said the wind was not discussed in the cockpit. The runway was clear and dry.

 

 

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-0...sh_N.htm?csp=34

 

The captain of a Continental Airlines jet that skidded off a Denver runway and burst into flames last month attempted to steer the jet using a method linked to runway accidents in the past, federal accident investigators reported Wednesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not said what caused Flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500 headed for Houston, to skid off the runway on Dec. 20 while attempting to take off in a brisk crosswind. But a preliminary report released by investigators offers the first glimpse of what might have triggered the crash.

 

All 115 people aboard escaped as jet fuel burned through the right side of the jet. The crash injured 38 people, five of whom were hospitalized, the NTSB said.

 

As the jet accelerated toward takeoff, the captain attempted to keep it rolling straight by turning the small pair of wheels under the jet's nose, the NTSB said the pilot told investigators. The nose gear is turned with a device called a tiller. The captain is not named in the report.

 

Two former accident investigators, Kevin Darcy and John Cox, who are not connected to the government's probe, said that using the tiller could cause the front tires to lose traction and start to skid. Pilots typically use the tiller to turn while taxiing at slow speeds, but once a jet accelerates, they steer with rudder pedals, they said.

 

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Houston | Denver | Boeing | National Transportation Safety Board | Continental Airlines | Mumbai | US Airways | John F. Kennedy International Airport | Flight | John Cox

Nose-wheel steering is something investigators will likely focus on, said Darcy, a former Boeing accident investigator who now works as a safety consultant. Darcy said he investigated a 737 accident in Mumbai in the 1990s which was partly blamed on the pilots' attempt to steer with the tiller during takeoff.

 

The NTSB cited "excessive nose-wheel steering" as part of the reason for a 1995 accident at John F. Kennedy International Airport involving a 747.

 

"It is unusual to need a tiller in a 737 on a runway, regardless of wind," said Cox, a former US Airways pilot who is also a safety consultant. "In all my years, I never needed the tiller. The rudder steering was always sufficient."

 

The winds at Denver were gusting up to 37 mph from the west as the jet attempted to take off to the north. Jets naturally tend to turn into the wind, just as a weather vane does. The Continental jet turned into the wind.

 

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