Sun, Jan 04, 2009
Gusty Conditions Provided Strong Crosswind Component
Information released in the National Transportation Safety
Board preliminary report on the December 20 crash of Continental
Flight 1404 at Denver International Airport has given rise to
speculation about the part gusty prevailing winds may have played
in the incident.
According to the NTSB report, weather observations at the time
of the accident showed winds were from 290 degrees at 24 knots (28
mph), gusting to 32 knots (37 mph). In attempting to take off on
runway 34R (listed as 350 degrees magnetic, 001 degrees true), one
thing is certain -- Flight 1404 experienced a substantial
crosswind.
While still within the demonstrated crosswind component range
for a Boeing 737-500, speculation about the role the winds played
has intensified, with questions about the choice of runway at the
forefront, the Associated Press reported.
As ANN reported, Continental Flight 1404 crashed the evening of
December 20 after aborting a troubled takeoff at Denver
International Airport, injuring 37 of the 115 passengers and crew
aboard the Boeing 737-500.
The airliner careened off the left side of runway 34 Right,
crossing a field, a taxiway, and a service road, shearing off the
landing gear and finally coming to rest at the bottom of a wide,
shallow ravine nearly 2,000 feet off the end of the runway.
All of the injured have since been released from the hospital,
including the pilot. The NTSB is still investigating the incident,
with a final report not expected for a year.
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