Continental Airlines Flight 1713
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 15, 1987 |
| Type | Icing |
| Site | Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado, United States Right side of RWY 35L Coordinates: |
| Passengers | 77 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Injuries | 28 serious; 26 minor/none |
| Fatalities | 28 (passengers:25 crew:3) |
| Survivors | 54 |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-9-14 |
| Operator | Continental Airlines |
| Tail number | N626TX |
| Flight origin | Denver-Stapleton International Airport, Colorado, United States (DEN/KDEN) |
| Destination | Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), Idaho, United States (BOI/KBOI) |
Continental Airlines Flight 1713, a Douglas Aircraft DC-9-14 aircraft, departed from Denver en route to Boise but crashed on take-off during a snowstorm at the Denver, Colorado Stapleton International Airport on Sunday, November 15, 1987.
Contents |
[edit] Accident
Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was scheduled to leave Denver at 12:25 PM Mountain Time, but many flights out of Denver that day were delayed by inclement weather.[1] The flight was cleared for takeoff at 2:14 PM Mountain Time.
As the plane was taking off, it over rotated; the aircraft descended and the left wing struck the ground, causing the wing to separate. The left side of the plane and cockpit struck the ground next and the plane continued rolling, inverted. Of the 82 occupants on board (77 passengers and 5 crew), 28 were killed while 54 survived. The majority of the passengers who died were in the middle of the aircraft. As the plane skidded, the left side was tilted over and the tail was inverted; this action caused the middle part of the plane to squeeze and crush many of the passengers on board.[2]
Of the passengers who died, 16 (including one infant) died of blunt trauma and 12 died of mechanical asphyxia [1] (Page 28 of 99).
Of the passengers who survived, 24 received minor injuries and 27 received serious injuries. One lap infant received no injuries [2] (Page 28 of 99).
[edit] Investigation
Four days of hearings regarding the crash were held in Golden, Colorado in March 1988.[3] [4] During the investigation, it was revealed that the captain had 166 hours on this particular type and the copilot 26 hours.[5]
In July 1988, Continental Airlines filed a report with the National Transportation Safety Board positing the causes of the crash as wake turbulence, poor snow plowing on the runway and errors by air traffic controllers.[6]
According to the FAA report, NTSB Number AAR-88/09 and NTIS Number PB88-910411:
- "The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the captain's failure to have the airplane deiced a second time after a delay before takeoff that led to upper wing surface contamination and a loss of control during rapid takeoff rotation by the first officer. Contributing to the accident were the absence of regulatory or management controls governing operations by newly qualified flight crew members and the confusion that existed between the flightcrew members and air traffic controllers that led to the delay in departure."
[edit] Aftermath
After the crash, Continental Airlines reiterated its procedures for handling de-icing and developed a computerized assignment program that would keep pilots with less than 100 hours flying time from being assigned to the same flight.[5] Ironically, the CVR from this crash was discussed in the cockpit of another flight that crashed the following year - Delta Air Lines Flight 1141.[7]
[edit] Victims
[edit] Fatalities
Flight crew:
- Captain Frank Zvonek, 43, Carlsbad, California
- First Officer Lee Bruecher, 26, Houston, Texas
- Flight attendant Diana Mechling, 33, Aurora, Colorado
Passengers:[8]
- Richard L. Cook, 51, Boise, Idaho
- Tami Daniel, 26, Melba, Idaho
- Joseph Bliss Glynn, 51, Kansas City, Missouri
- William Harkenrider, 43, Manassas, Virginia
- Mikato Hideshima, 54 Lakewood, Colorado
- Herman Klaussen, 53, Mountain Home, Idaho
- Dennis Kemper, 41, Boise, Idaho
- Janine Ledgerwood, 17, Spokane, Washington (attending school in Melba, Idaho)
- Karen Marria, 35, Boise, Idaho
- Bob McAlpine, 42, Ontario, Oregon
- Anthony Nasrallah, 2, Jacksonville, Florida
- Peter Nasrallah, 6 months, Jacksonville, Florida
- Sherry Nelson, 18, Melba, Idaho
- Terry Owens, Boise, Idaho
- Max Richter, 45, Boise, Idaho
- Edwin Rood, 46, Emmett, Idaho
- Ruth Rood, Emmett, Idaho
- Bonnie Smith, El Paso, Texas
- William Spalsbury, 46, Evergreen, Colorado
- John Stewart, 32, Payette, Idaho
- Richard Verheul, 54, Stuart, Florida
[edit] References
- ^ Knudson, Thomas J.. "Plane Crashes in Snow at Denver; 26 of the 82 Aboard Are Killed", New York Times, 1987-11-16. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
- ^ Associated Press. "Rear Passengers Survived Air Crash", New York Times, 1987-11-27. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
- ^ Associated Press. "Inquiry Into Denver Jet Crash Looks at Possible Ice Buildup", New York Times, 1988-03-09. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
- ^ Associated Press. "Rescue Coordinator Testifies In Continental Crash Hearing", New York Times, 1988-03-10. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
- ^ a b Associated Press. "U.S. Panel Lays Denver Air Crash To Failure to De-ice Second Time", New York Times, 1988-09-28. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
- ^ Associated Press. "Airline Says Several Errors Caused Crash Fatal to 28", New York Times, 1988-08-18. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
- ^ http://www.aviationexplorer.com/audio/delta_1141.wav Cockpit Voice Recording from Delta Air Lines Flight 1141
- ^ List assembled primarily from Associated Press story "Partial List Of Denver Crash Victims", published in many US newspapers on November 17, 1987. Additional details were found in subsequent articles.
[edit] External links
- NTSB report
- The haunting memories of Continental 1713, editorial by a former Continental passenger service agent
