Denver Airport: Plane Skids Off Runway

DENVER — A Continental Airlines jet taking off from Denver veered off the runway into a ravine and caught fire Saturday night, forcing passengers to evacuate on emergency slides and injuring nearly 40 people, officials said.

No deaths were reported, but 38 people were taken to hospitals, said Kim Day, Denver International Airport manager of aviation. No one was reported in critical condition.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known. The weather in Denver was cold but not snowy when Continental Flight 1404 took off from Denver International Airport for Houston around 6:20 p.m.

The plane veered off course about 2,000 feet from the end of the runway and did not appear to be airborne, Day said.

It was not known when the plane caught fire, but ground crews put out the flames quickly, said airport spokesman Jeff Green. The 112 people on board made it out on through slides on the Boeing 737.

The plane was carrying 107 passengers and five crew members, said Continental spokeswoman Mary Clark.

Denver Health spokeswoman Kalena Wilkinson said seven people were taken to her hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Seven people were at the University of Colorado hospital, but no one had life-threatening injuries, a spokeswoman said.

The accident closed the airport's west airfield and caused delays of 40 minutes, Day said.

Comments

[concernvoter]

I'm glad no one was seriously injured.

[dsmom]

I always avoid Denver. Snow and ice in the winter and terrible winds in the summer.

[mick7191]

Had many a white knuckle landing at DIA.

[repugnicansfearme]

One of the worst run airports in the world. Not surprising.

[mick7191]

So, that has something to do with an airliner veering off at takeoff, how? I don't see how republicans fear you, considering the brain power.

[jqcitizen]

It is rare that a takeoff is a problem at an airport like Denver.

Landing. Maybe.

[rogerse]

Why didn't you save them Obama.

[instagladiator]

Uh, that's Sarah's responsibility but I guess Big G didn't open that door for her?

[Yves Papa]

Pilots should not text during takeoff.

[Xander]

It was just a matter of time before this happened. Those of you who don't live in the Western mountain ranges aren't aware of this, but we've been getting a really weird kind of snow lately, and it's really hard to do anything in it.

[sparkandy]

flying in and out of the Rockies is scary any time. Period.

[instagladiator]

Eh? Could you be a little more explicit on that?

[myfatherschild]

Glad it wasn't worse. Hope all are ok.

[entemplin]

oh man. at least there were no deaths.

[AngryCitizen]

Thankfully it won't be as bad a Christmas for these people and their families as it could have been.

[stunsitfel]

Let me be the first to say it. IT WAS ALL BUSH'S FAULT.

[HumeSkeptic]

Lame and insensitive to those whose family members might be involved.

[DLB]

Two words, "Hurricane Katrina."

[Telemachus]

Hmmm, "stunsitfel" ... according to my on-line dictionary, that's Low German for "incontinent sphincter" ...

[stunsitfel]

No Detective Telly....spell it baqckwards. Your German is kaput.

[bushsmother]

LOL Stunsitfel is not a german word... Leftisnuts... right? hehehe...

[stunsitfel]

wie geht's?

[DLB]

D.a.m.n.! You beat me to it!

[JoeBlough]

Yeah, it was de-regulation!

[CaptainHowdy]

I have a feeling we'll be seeing more and more accidents such as this during the next few years...

[BannedInBoston]

Yeah. No doubt in the minds of wingnuts like stunsitfel, the plane went into a ditch because it veered to the left.

[Ares1]

Thank goodness their where no fatalities, but this looks to be a long investigation on how the plane veered off the runway in clear conditions and without snow.