Continental Airlines Flight 1404

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-524, MSN 27324, registered as N18611, first flew on May 31, 1994, and in its 14 years of service, it had logged approximately 21511 takeoff and landing cycles. It was manufactured in 1994 and equipped with two CFM International CFM56-3B1 engines. == Accident ==

On Saturday, December 20, 2008, around 18:18 (06:18 pm) local time, after being cleared for takeoff on runway 34R at Denver International Airport, the Boeing 737-524 aircraft veered off the side of the runway before taxiway WC (less than from the threshold), skidded across the taxiway and a service road, and crashed in a ravine several hundred yards from the runway. The right engine caught fire and the fire spread to the fuselage. Despite early confusion as to the whereabouts of Flight 1404, firefighters were on scene relatively quickly, as the aircraft came to rest near one of the airport's four fire houses. and one off-duty Continental Airlines pilot in the cabin, the latter making several trips in and out of the wreckage to ensure everyone was safely out of the aircraft. The off-duty pilot, Richard Lowe, was part of the crew who had flown the incident aircraft into Denver; an Air Force reservist, Lowe was awarded the Airman's Medal for his actions. The aircraft sustained severe damage. The fuselage was cracked just behind the wings, the number 1 engine and main landing gear were sheared off, and the nose gear collapsed. The crash is noted as the most serious incident in Denver International Airport's history. The aircraft was subsequently written off. Two passengers and one of the crew were critically injured, though both passengers' conditions were upgraded that evening. By the following morning, fewer than seven people remained hospitalized. He was hospitalized with serious back injuries and bone fractures. The first officer, 34-year-old Chad Levang, received minor injuries. == Investigation ==

The aircraft's black boxes (data and sound) were recovered from the wreckage in usable condition. The cockpit voice recorder did not reveal any apparent problem until 41 seconds after the aircraft's brakes were released, just before takeoff. At that point, a bumping or rattling sound could be heard, and the crew aborted the takeoff four seconds later. Both recorders stopped working six seconds after that (before the plane came to a stop). When during the sequence the fire started is unclear. The flight crew who flew the aircraft to Denver prior to the incident flight was also on board, though not on duty, and reported having no difficulties with the plane during their previous flight. Contrary to the "average" wind data reported to the incident pilots, the NTSB investigation found that a sensor at one end of the runway showed a crosswind of , with analysis showing the airplane was hit with a peak gust crosswind of . In response to the NTSB report, the Federal Aviation Administration required the airline industry to adjust the crosswind training protocols for pilots, and required ATCs to provide multiple sources of wind information, rather than averages, to pilots. == Dramatization ==

The crash of Continental Airlines Flight 1404 was covered in Runway Runoff, a season-19 (2019) episode of the internationally syndicated Canadian TV documentary series Mayday. == See also ==