CVR Picked Up Unusual Sounds Before Jet Departed Runway

Preliminary evidence determined from the wreckage of Continental Airlines Flight 1404 shows no sign of any pre-impact problems with the Boeing 737-500's tires or braking systems, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday night.

"There's no indication from the physical examination on the scene of brake problems at this time," said Board member Robert Sumwalt (right), who oversees the Go Team dispatched to Denver to investigate the December 20 accident. "...The brakes showed no leaks, no locked brakes."

Sumwalt added tire marks visible on the runway and the ground adjacent to runway 34R show the four maingear tires were inflated prior to the takeoff accident, according to CNN. The runway surface was dry, and there's no sign of debris on the runway at the time of the accident.

An early review of the plane's cockpit voice recorder "shows nothing out of the ordinary" during preflight operations," Sumwalt said. At approximately 41 seconds into the takeoff roll, however, the CVR picked up 'bumping and rattling' sounds; four seconds later, one of the flight crew calls out for a rejected takeoff.

As ANN reported, the airliner with 115 people onboard departed runway 34R, and careened across the airfield before coming to rest in a shallow ravine. Approximately 38 people were injured in the crash; as of Tuesday five were still hospitalized, including the captain of the flight.

Sumwalt said the 11-year Continental veteran is "not physically able" to be interviewed yet. The flight's first officer has been interviewed, telling investigators the initial takeoff roll was normal, until the FO "noticed a deviation from the center line of the runway and a sudden left turn," Sumwalt said.

Information retrieved from the aircraft's flight data recorder shows the airliner reached 119 knots before it left the runway, Sumwalt said. According to Boeing, rotation speed for a fully-loaded 737-500 is between 145-155 knots, depending on conditions.

Among the passengers onboard the accident flight was the first officer from the aircraft's previous leg into Denver, who told the NTSB there was "absolutely no problem with the aircraft" beforehand.

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