Continental Airlines Flight 1713
Encyclopedia
Continental Airlines Flight 1713 crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport
in Denver, Colorado
on . The Douglas Aircraft DC-9-14 was operated by Continental Airlines
and was a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho
. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.
, but many flights out of Denver that day were delayed by inclement weather. 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.
Of the passengers who died, 16 (including one infant) died of blunt trauma
and 12 died of mechanical asphyxia
.
Of the passengers who survived, 24 received minor injuries and 27 received serious injuries. One lap infant received no injuries.
in March 1988. During the investigation, it was revealed that the captain, Frank Zvonek, had 166 hours of experience in this particular type of aircraft, and the copilot, Lee Bruecher, had only 26 hours. Moreover, it was also discovered, as reported in "Miracle In The Blizzard," a feature article Henry Hurt had written for, and published in, the February 1990 issue of the Reader's Digest
, that Zvonek had placed Bruecher in charge of actually flying the aircraft and that, before Continental had hired him, Bruecher had been dismissed from another airline for his incompetence as a pilot.
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 controller
s.
According to the FAA report, NTSB Number AAR-88/09 and NTIS Number PB88-910411:
The cockpit voice recorder
from this crash was discussed in the cockpit of another flight that crashed the following year - Delta Air Lines Flight 1141
.
Passengers:
Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport was Denver, Colorado's primary airport from 1929 to 1995. At different times it served as a hub for TWA, People Express, Frontier Airlines and Western Airlines as well as a hub for Continental Airlines and United Airlines at the time of its closure.In 1995 Stapleton...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
on . The Douglas Aircraft DC-9-14 was operated by Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
and was a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.
Accident
Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was scheduled to leave Denver at 12:25 PM MSTMountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
, but many flights out of Denver that day were delayed by inclement weather. 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
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
struck the ground, causing the wing to separate. The left side of the plane and cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
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
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
was inverted; this action caused the middle part of the plane to squeeze and crush many of the passengers on board.
Of the passengers who died, 16 (including one infant) died of blunt trauma
Blunt trauma
In medical terminology, blunt trauma, blunt injury, non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma refers to a type of physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack; the latter usually being referred to as blunt force trauma...
and 12 died of mechanical asphyxia
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
.
Of the passengers who survived, 24 received minor injuries and 27 received serious injuries. One lap infant received no injuries.
Investigation
Four days of hearings regarding the crash were held in Golden, ColoradoGolden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
in March 1988. During the investigation, it was revealed that the captain, Frank Zvonek, had 166 hours of experience in this particular type of aircraft, and the copilot, Lee Bruecher, had only 26 hours. Moreover, it was also discovered, as reported in "Miracle In The Blizzard," a feature article Henry Hurt had written for, and published in, the February 1990 issue of the Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, that Zvonek had placed Bruecher in charge of actually flying the aircraft and that, before Continental had hired him, Bruecher had been dismissed from another airline for his incompetence as a pilot.
In July 1988, Continental Airlines filed a report with the National Transportation Safety Board positing the causes of the crash as wake turbulence
Wake turbulence
Wake turbulence is turbulence that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. This turbulence includes various components, the most important of which are wing vorticies and jetwash. Jetwash refers simply to the rapidly moving gases expelled from a jet engine; it is extremely turbulent,...
, poor snow plowing on the runway and errors by air traffic controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
s.
- "The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the captain's failure to have the airplane deicedDeicingFor snow and ice control on roadways and similar facilities, see Snow removalDe-icing is defined as removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface...
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."
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 in type from being assigned to the same flight.The cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
from this crash was discussed in the cockpit of another flight that crashed the following year - Delta Air Lines Flight 1141
Delta Air Lines Flight 1141
Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 was a routine domestic passenger flight between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah...
.
Fatalities
Flight crew:- Captain Frank Zvonek, 43, Carlsbad, California
- First Officer Lee Bruecher, 26, Houston, Texas
- Flight attendant Diana Mechling, 33, Aurora, Colorado
Passengers:
- Richard L. Cook, 51, Boise, Idaho
- Tami Daniel, 26, Melba, Idaho
- Joseph Bliss Glynn, 51, Kansas City, Missouri
- William Harkenrider, 43, Manassas, Virginia
- Makoto 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
- Jim Marria, 38, Boise, Idaho
- Bob McAlpine, 42, Ontario, Oregon
- Anthony Nasrallah, 2, Jacksonville, Florida
- Peter Nasrallah, 6 months, Jacksonville, Florida
- Sherry Nelson, 18, Melba, Idaho
- Terri Owens, 26, 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
- Nick Ysursa, 35, Boise, Idaho
External links
- NTSB report
- The haunting memories of Continental 1713, editorial by a former Continental passenger service agent
- Carolyn Holly reports on 1987 Denver-Boise crash, original video news broadcast of crash in 1987.
- Pre-crash photos of the airliner at airliners.net