Updated NTSB Report Offers Little Resolution

Early speculation about an accident at Denver International Airport last month, in which a Continental 737 veered off a runway December 20 during its takeoff run and was destroyed, has centered on the role crosswinds might have played.

While the 32-knot gusts recorded at DEN that day are well below the plane's demonstrated envelope, and should also have been within the envelope of an experienced pilot, some observers still wonder if a crosswind strong enough to "weathervane" the big plane might have caused the accident. The plane ran off the runway and rumbled across a taxiway and a service road, and about a half-mile of snow-covered fields, had its main gear and one engine sheared off, and caught fire. There were 38 injuries among passengers and crew.

The Associated Press cites the comments of John Cox, a former pilot and president of Safety Operating Systems, an aviation consulting firm in Washington. Cox says winds were definitely a factor, but, "Whether it's causal or not, I don't think you have enough information to go there yet."

The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that there were no problems with the main gear tires or brakes. The nosegear collapsed and wound up buried beneath the wreckage. It has now been unearthed, but there's no word yet on any clues it might offer.

In an update to its factual report released Wednesday, NTSB revealed that both pilots recalled, in their separate interviews with investigators, that the takeoff went normally until the aircraft suddenly drifted left of the centerline, and neither the rudder nor nosewheel steering was effective in regaining control.

The pilots have not been identified, but the NTSB notes the captain had about 13,000 logged hours, including about 5,000 in the 737, while the first officer had 7,500 total hours and about 1,500 hours in-type. The flight crew initiated rejected takeoff procedures, including deployment of engine thrust reversers, after the airliner had departed the runway.

The final NTSB report on probable cause is likely a year away.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.continental.com