ImEbee

I know that they have come out and said something to the effect of the brakes appeared ok. I find that hard to believe that such a recent and preliminary finding could rule some kind of brake failure out. Have they make any such findings on the engines, especially #1? I suppose we all just wait for the FDR data to be released, but this reeks of some kind of catastrophic failure.

Its also frustrating when all of your non-industry aquaintances come asking for your opinion and there is absolutely nothing to give them. Generally I can make some kind of educated speculation.

Alterbridge

I don't think anything's been ruled out, regardless of what appears to be ok.

For instance, I believe it was (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) compressor/turbine blade fatigue that was attributed to UAL 232--microscopic fatigue.

bravo24

If my memory serves me right it was a crack in a compressor disk that started in a microscopic flaw that was introduced during the manufacturing process.

Romulus

My memory serves me with the same recollection.

No need to speculate. Both pilots are alive along with the rest of the crew and passengers. The FDR and CVR is recovered. Give the investigators time to compile all the information for a fact-based report.

Boneman

But you'd be wrong.

KC10 FATboy

Any updates on this ???

Boogie Nights

I would not be surprised if it ended up being 4th ? stage compressor bearing failure. The KC-135 has been flying these engines (cfm56-2) (737-500 uses cfm56-3) since the 80's. We have been seeing beairing failures in the 4th ? stage compressor.

Anyone else heard this. It is a darn good enigine. I am a rare person who has had to shut them down 6 different times

2 Low oil (loose oil caps)
1 high egt (gage failure)
1 high oil
1 broken throttle cable (what are you going to do?)
1 starter valve opened in flight (engine feeds it's own starter in 135)

Most of these were not engine problems but related equipement.

Jack Bauer

DENVER (AP) — The wrecked fuselage of a plane that crashed at Denver International Airport two weeks ago has finally been removed from the ravine where it landed.
Some four dozen workers using cranes and trailers Saturday hauled the plane out of the ravine. The charred fuselage of Houston-bound Continental Flight 1404 had been sitting on its belly since veering sharply off the runway during takeoff Dec. 20, injuring 37.
The Boeing 737 caught fire during the crash, but all 115 people aboard survived.
On Friday, the plane's fuselage was loaded onto three tractor trailers, lifted with cranes. On Saturday the pieces of the plane were moved into a Continental hangar nearby for more investigation into the cause of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not said what caused the crash. An initial report from the agency, though, said that strong, gusty wind was blowing about the time Flight 1404 was taking off.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Boeing | National Transportation Safety Board | Denver International Airport
Just as the plane was taking off, it veered across open fields, an airport taxiway and a raised service road before coming to rest near an airport fire station. Investigators have not yet said whether the plane ever left the ground, and passenger accounts have varied.
The plane's flight recorders were recovered, and they included an odd bumping and rattling noise. But crewmembers didn't talk on the recording about any problem with wind.
Investigators haven't found any problems with the Boeing 737-500's engines, brakes or wheels, but they haven't ruled anything out.
The runway closest to the plane, one of six at the airport, was closed for about 30 minutes Saturday morning while the fuselage was carted to the hangar.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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yb23

NTSB ISSUES UPDATE ON CONTINENTAL 737 ACCIDENT IN DENVER
************************************************** **********
In its continuing investigation of the Continental Airlines
aircraft accident at Denver International Airport, the
National Transportation Safety Board has developed the
following factual information:

On December 20, 2008, at 6:18 p.m. mountain standard time,
Continental flight 1404, a Boeing 737-500 (registration
N18611), equipped with CFM56-3B1 engines, departed the left
side of runway 34R during takeoff from Denver International
Airport in Aurora, Colorado. The scheduled, domestic
passenger flight, operated under the provisions of Title 14
CFR Part 121, was en route to George Bush Intercontinental
Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas. A total of 38 passengers and
crew were transported to hospitals, and five were admitted.
There were no fatalities. The airplane was substantially
damaged and experienced a post-crash fire, which was located
on the right side of the aircraft.

Inspection of the runway following the accident revealed
that it was bare and dry and free of debris. The first tire
marks were found about 1,900 feet from the runway threshold.
The aircraft exited the runway at about 2,650 feet from the
runway threshold, continued across a snow-covered grassy
drainage basin area, and crossed a taxiway and a service
road before coming to rest about 2,300 feet from the point
at which it departed the runway.

On the night of the accident, the majority of air traffic
was arriving at the airport from the south and departing
from the airport to the north.

Both members of the flight crew have been interviewed. The
accident flight was their first flight on the fourth day of
a four-day trip. The Captain, the pilot flying, had
accumulated a total of about 13,000 hours, with about 5,000
in the 737. The First Officer had flown about 7,500 hours in
his career with about 1,500 hours in the 737; he was the
pilot monitoring.

Both pilots were aware of the crosswind conditions, having
been advised by Air Traffic Control (ATC) that winds were
270 degrees at 27 knots just prior to takeoff. The weather
observation (METAR) in effect for Denver International
Airport nearest the time of the accident was reported to be
winds at 290 degrees and 24 knots with gusts to 32 knots,
visibility of 10 miles, a few clouds at 4000 feet and
scattered clouds at 10,000 feet. The temperature was
reported as -4 degrees Celsius. Wind data has been obtained
from the airport's low-level wind shear alert system
(LLWAS), consisting of 32 sensors located around the field,
which record wind speed and direction every 10 seconds. This
information will be used to determine a better estimate of

the actual crosswind component at the time of the accident.

Both pilots remarked that all appeared normal until the

aircraft began to deviate from the runway centerline. The
Captain noted that the airplane suddenly diverged to the
left, and attempts to correct the deviation with the rudder
were unsuccessful. He stated that he briefly attempted to
return the aircraft to the centerline by using the tiller to
manipulate the steering of the nose gear but was unable to
keep the aircraft on the runway. Bumping and rattling sounds
audible on the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been time-
correlated with the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and were
found to have occurred as the airplane exited the runway and
travelled through the grassy areas adjacent to the runway.
The aircraft reached a maximum speed of 119 knots, and it
was traveling at 89 knots when the CVR and FDR stopped
recording.

Two Continental pilots who had flown the aircraft into
Denver on the previous flight were passengers on the
accident flight. Neither of the pilots was aware of any
anomalies on the inbound flight and reported that all the
aircraft's systems had operated normally.

The airplane's Quick Access Recorder (QAR) and other
electronics were retrieved and sent to the NTSB laboratory
in Washington. The QAR, which records aircraft data, often
has more parameters or information of higher fidelity than
the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). Additional items, such as
flight control and nosewheel steering actuators, were also
removed from the airplane for testing and evaluation.
Physical inspection of the engines and information from the
FDR has not indicated any evidence of pre-impact
malfunctions with either engine. The FDR data shows that
number one engine power was reduced before that of the
number two engine during the accident sequence, and
examination of the engine indicates that this reduction is
consistent with snow and earth ingestion as the airplane
departed the runway. The FDR data also shows that both
engines were commanded into reverse thrust following
rejection of the takeoff by the flight crew, which occurred
after the aircraft had already left the runway.
A preliminary examination of the rudder system revealed no
abnormalities or malfunctions. The main landing gear and
brakes, which had separated from the aircraft during the
accident sequence, were found in good condition by visual
examination. There were no signs of hydraulic leaking or
flat spots on the tires. The flight deck controls and
corresponding control surfaces were found to be in the
takeoff configuration.

There was no obvious damage to the passenger seats, which
were found secured on their tracks. The safety belts all
appeared intact although some showed evidence of fire
damage. Some components of the crew seats and restraint
systems have been removed for further examination.
The three flight attendants indicated that there were no
problems with the escape slides and that the emergency exit
lights were brightly illuminated. All occupants exited the
airplane via the left side doors and overwing exits. The
flight attendants reported that the passenger who opened the
overwing exit did so very quickly and easily. After a
bottleneck of people developed by the left overwing exit, a
Continental Airlines pilot, who was a passenger on the
flight, directed passengers out via the doors.

The aircraft has been moved from the accident site to a
secure location on airport property where an examination of
the nosegear and other components was conducted. While the
on-scene phase of the investigation has been completed, the
aircraft wreckage will remain available to the NTSB
throughout the course of the investigation.

Airhoss

"Investigators haven't found any problems with the Boeing 737-500's engines, brakes or wheels, but they haven't ruled anything out."


Hmmm....Pure speculation here, but the 737 rudder PCU alarm is going off in head right now.




The NTSB should be able to figure this one out fairly quickly given the circumstances.