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                      NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2010

 

SB-10-27

 

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LACK OF RULES REQUIRING DISSEMINATION OF WIND CONDITION DATA

AND PILOT'S INSUFFICIENT RUDDER CONTROL CITED AS PROBABLE

CAUSE OF 2008 DENVER RUNWAY ACCIDENT

 

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Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board

today determined that the probable cause of the 2008

Continental Airlines flight 1404 runway excursion accident

was the captain's cessation of rudder input, which was

needed to maintain directional control of the airplane,

about 4 seconds before the aircraft departed the runway,

when the airplane encountered a strong and gusty crosswind

that exceeded the captain's training and experience. 

 

Contributing to the accident was the air traffic control

system that did not require or facilitate the dissemination

of key available wind information to air traffic controllers

and pilots, and inadequate cross wind training in the

airline industry due to deficient simulator wind gust

modeling.

 

On December 20, 2008, Continental Airlines flight 1404

veered off the left side of runway 34R during a takeoff from

Denver International Airport.  As a result, the captain

initiated a rejected takeoff and the airplane came to rest

between runways 34R and 34L.  There was a post-crash fire. 

All 110 passengers and 5 crewmembers evacuated the airplane

immediately after it came to rest.  The captain and five

passengers were seriously injured.  

 

At the time of the accident, mountain wave and downsloping

wind conditions existed in the Denver area and the strong

localized winds associated with these conditions resulted in

pulses of strong wind gusts at the surface that posed a

threat to operations at Denver International Airport.     

 

"This aircraft happened to be in the direct path of a

perfect storm of circumstances that resulted in an

unexpected excursion in an airport with one of the most

sophisticated wind sensing systems in the country," said

NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.  "It is critical that

pilots receive training to operate aircraft when high wind

conditions and significant gusts are present, and that

sufficient airport-specific wind information be provided to

ATC controllers and pilots as well."

 

As a result of this accident the NTSB issued 14

recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration

regarding mountain waves, wind dissemination to flightcrews,

runway selection,   pilot training for crosswind takeoffs,

and crashworthiness.      

 

A synopsis of the Board's report, including the probable

cause, conclusions, and recommendations, is available on the

NTSB's website, at

http://ntsb.gov/Publictn/2010/AAR1004.htm.

 

The Board's full report will be available on the website in

several weeks.

 

###

 

NTSB Media Contact: Terry N. Williams

 

(202) 314-6100

williat@xxxxxxxx

 

 

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