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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

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December 21, 2008 · Boeing 737-524 · N18611

Denver, CO

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
December 21, 2008
Injury Outcomes
47 injuries (6 serious injuries, 41 minor injuries), 68 uninjured
Location
Denver, CO
Aircraft
Boeing 737-524
Tail Number
N18611
Operator
Continental Airlines
Injuries
Serious
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
DCA09MA021

The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/04. On December 20, 2008, about 1818 mountain standard time, Continental Airlines flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500, N18611, departed the left side of runway 34R during takeoff from Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado. A postcrash fire ensued. The captain and 5 of the 110 passengers were seriously injured; the first officer, 2 cabin crewmembers, and 38 passengers received minor injuries; and 1 cabin crewmember and 67 passengers (3 of whom were lap-held children) were uninjured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The scheduled, domestic passenger flight, operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, was departing DEN and was destined for George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. At the time of the accident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, with strong and gusty winds out of the west. The flight operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

NTSB Probable Cause

The captain’s cessation of right rudder input, which was needed to maintain directional control of the airplane, about 4 seconds before the excursion, when the airplane encountered a strong and gusty crosswind that exceeded the captain’s training and experience. Contributing to the accident were the following factors: 1) an air traffic control system that did not require or facilitate the dissemination of key, available wind information to the air traffic controllers and pilots; and 2) inadequate crosswind training in the airline industry due to deficient simulator wind gust modeling.

Full Narrative

The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/04. On December 20, 2008, about 1818 mountain standard time, Continental Airlines flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500, N18611, departed the left side of runway 34R during takeoff from Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado. A postcrash fire ensued. The captain and 5 of the 110 passengers were seriously injured; the first officer, 2 cabin crewmembers, and 38 passengers received minor injuries; and 1 cabin crewmember and 67 passengers (3 of whom were lap-held children) were uninjured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The scheduled, domestic passenger flight, operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, was departing DEN and was destined for George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. At the time of the accident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, with strong and gusty winds out of the west. The flight operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time18:18 MST
Nearest AirportDenver International Airport (0nm)
Runway34R
Runway Length12000 ft
Runway Width150 ft
Flight Plan FiledIFR
Flight Plan ActivatedYes
Aircraft FireGrd
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftBoeing 737-524
Tail NumberN18611
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorContinental Airlines
Operating RulePart 121
Engines2
Engine DetailsCfm Intl. · CFM56 SERIES · 2200 | Cfm Intl. · CFM56 SERIES · 2200
Seats115

People & Injuries

Injury Summary47 injuries (6 serious injuries, 41 minor injuries), 68 uninjured
Fatal0
Serious6
Minor41
Uninjured68
Total115
Crew 1Age 50 · First Class
Crew 2Age 34 · First Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
Wind270° @ 27 kt, gusting 42 kt
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point0 C / 0 C
Altimeter0
Observation Time01:34
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data