Pictured: Blazing Boeing 737 torn in half - but all 115 people escape alive [Denver,CO]

DailyMail.uk ^ | 22nd December 2008 | staff writer

[yankeedame]

Pictured: Blazing Boeing 737 torn in half - but all 115 people escape alive

A Boeing 737 with 115 passengers and crew on board was almost torn in half when it crashed on take-off and burst into flames - but everyone got off the plane alive.

'It was a miracle that everybody survived the impact and the fire,' said assistant fire chief Bill Davis. 'It was just amazing.'

Snapped in two: The wreckage of the Continental flight

Miracle: A gash in the snow shows the plane's path as it skidded out of control

Continental Airlines Flight 1404 was taxiing along the runway at Denver International Airport on Saturday evening when it veered off course.

Debris was scattered on the runway behind the plane which came to rest in a snow-covered ravine 200 yards from one of the airport's fire stations.

The entire right side of the plane was burned...

Horror crash: Fire tore along one side of the aircraft, melting plastic inside the cabin

Wreckage: The shattered remains of the aircraft black against a dusting of snow

A crack encircled much of the fuselage and the left engine had broken loose and ended up 30 feet away.

Passengers and crew members scrambled from the plane on emergency slides and walked out of the ravine. One of those on board...'It was bumpy, then it was bumpier, then it wasn't bumpy.'

Thirty-eight people suffered injuries, including broken bones, with one listed as serious.

Federal aviation investigators said the weather was cold but not snowy at the time of the crash.

An overhead view of the plan shows scattered wreckage and the gash in the cabin tearing it in half

[Scythian]

This is the reason I don’t fly, ever. They take off and land in all kinds of dangerous conditions because cancelling or delaying cost money, and I don’t like to be a roll of the dice. When I drive, I’m in control (oh yes I am).

[Andyman]

Continental Airlines Flight 1404 was taxiing along the runway at Denver International Airport . . .

A plane does not veer that far off course just taxiing unless the pilot and copilot were unconscious.

[spotbust1]

Not being a pilot myself, I have not first hand experience, but this part of the Fox News article seemed interesting to me.

The Denver runway was free of ice or snow Saturday, according to eyewitnesses and people familiar with the investigation, but rubber skid marks suggest the plane began veering to the left early in its roll toward takeoff.

I wonder if something happened with the breaks on one side during the takeoff, like they engaged or "locked up" when they were trying to takeoff. I don't even know if that is possible. Just sounds weird like they were still trying to roll when the skid marks started. What's your take?

[Uri’el-2012]

A plane does not veer that far off course just taxiing unless the pilot and copilot were unconscious.

One of the passengers who was interviewed said they were
rolling to take off, the nose went up twice and banged down,
then they started veering to the left.

[pfflier]

I'm gonna guess sudden uncontrollable drag on the right side. Loss of engine thrust, tire failure or flap/slat problems could have cause that.

The initial reports say the nose was up (V1) then went back down as the plane veered right. That leads to thrust problems as a likely cause.

[Travis McGee]

Great pictures! That Fat Albert is going to need a little work to get its airworthiness back.

[Carley]

And blessedly, the two critical are now stable and serious. Which is an upgrade in their condition.

Yes, angels watched over the plane.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Amen to that. 100% cotton or wool for me. Heavy leather boots as well. If they’d let me, I’d be wearing Nomex.

[Northern Yankee]

Thoughts?

[frithguild]

That Fat Albert is going to need a little work to get its airworthiness back.

I wonder if they have CarFax for planes....

[wbill]

They were yakking about this on the radio this morning.

Amazingly, there are reports of people stopping to get their bags, while exiting the BURNING aircraft.

Typically, I don't mind Darwinism kicking in and doing its thing, but when I'm 2nd in line behind the person, I'm not going to get pulled down with them.

[Travis McGee]

It’ll be flying for some African airline next year, with a new paint job.

[Yo-Yo]

Aerial shot of the aircraft's path:

[Verginius Rufus]

One of the passengers they were interviewing on Fox this morning said there had been an announcement on the intercom about engine trouble before the flight, but then they announced it was OK to fly.

[LikeLight]

Link to Fox news Atlanta with a little more info as to what may have happened.

Thanks for link. It was a little tough to take the article too seriously, though. The writer kept mentioning "landing gears" . . .

[Orange1998]

His handle appears to be 2drinksbehind

http://twitpic.com/ut2c

[NonValueAdded]

A little dramatic with the reporting there ... brokeback fer sure but torn in half?

[Moose4]

I’m not a pilot either, but early in the roll might have meant a blown tire or a brake malfunction. I still have a feeling the heavy crosswind is going to end up being some sort of a factor, though. Just a hunch.

}:-)4

[Broker]

Brakes are not the cause. Most likely engine failure followed by braking, compounded by cross-winds and icing. These pilots deserve a month off for saving many lives in this aborted take-off.

[BluH2o]

In the second picture had the plane veered more to the left it would have hit the fire station. If you abort takeoff, slide off the runway and begin to burn it helps to have fire response teams nearby ... this is about as close as it gets.