Accidents and Incidents

This page has some of the worst days of Continental Airlines
 documenting some of the Accidents and Incidents
I have included some of the Accident Reports as well.

Flight 11 Unionville Flight 54 El Paso Flight 614 Yap

Flight 603 Los Angeles Flight 1713 Denver Flight 1404 Denver
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Convair 240
1949














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DC-3
Manhatten, Kansas
1957

Aircraft slid off runway. Nine Passengers with no Injuries.
Captain "Gordy Nygren"   First Officer "Steve Grimes"


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Kansas City Downtown Municipal Airport
Flight 12  LAX - ORD  July 1, 1965
Boeing 707-124  Registration # N70773


N70773














Continental Air Lines Flight 12 departed Los Angeles on a scheduled flight to Chicago-O'Hare with an intermediate stop at Kansas City. Following an en route descent, the flight began an ILS approach to runway 18 at Kansas City After passing the outer marker the flight was cleared to land straight in on runway 18. The wind was reported to be from 070 degrees at 7 knots. During the approach the flight crew encountered light rain and light to moderate turbulence. The windshield wipers were turned on, full flaps were lowered, and the approach continued. Touchdown was within 5 knots of the airspeed specified for the gross weight, and between 1,000 and 1,200 feet past the approach end of the runway. Heavy rain was noted at that point. Immediately after a "firm" touchdown, the nose gear touched down. Brakes were then applied, the spoilers were raised, and reverse thrust was applied to 80 percent. After the aircraft rolled approximately 4,000 feet, reverse thrust was increased to 100 percent. The aircraft did not slow down as expected and went off the end of the runway cocked about 30 degrees to the left, at an estimated 40 knots. The right wing struck the blast mound and the aircraft slid up over the mound and came to rest with the nose section in the perimeter road between the blast mound and a river levee.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Hydroplaning of the landing gear wheels, which precluded braking effectiveness."

Crew - 6     Passengers - 60
 Fatalities - 0


Read Accident Report

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Denver Colorado
Flight 240  Tuesday November 19, 1968
Boeing 707-324c  Registration #N17325






Flight 240 ,While descending  towards Denver, an explosion occurred in the lavatory, followed by a fire. A safe emergency landing was carried out.
The passenger, seen leaving the lavatory just before the explosion, was arrested by the FBI.



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Burbank,California
1970
Boeing 727-200 Registration #N88709
Main Gear Collapse
Captain - Bill Lively
Flight Attendants- Sue Abbott,Jamie Rayan,Becky Moralez (Cruz)
DPS-Bill Day









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Continental Airlines Saberliner
Montrose, Colorado April 13, 1973
Registration # N743R


After bringing Bob and Audrey Six to their Colorado ranch, the Sabreliner crew departed MTJ, for the return flight to Los Angeles (LAX).  The Sabreliner descended shortly after takeoff from 1,000 feet, struck the ground, and was destroyed.

THE OFFICIAL REPORT FINDINGS

A Continental Airlines Sabreliner, Model NA-265-60, N743R, crashed shortly after takeoff from Montrose Airport, Montrose, Colorado, at 1635 m.s.t., on April 13, 1973. The two pilots were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. Witnesses saw the aircraft climb straight off the runaway to about 1000 feet above the ground, make a shallow right turn, and then begin a left turn which steepened as the nose dropped. After the crash, an examination of the left engine revealed that the left engine thurst reverser was in the deployed position. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the continued operation of the left engine at climb power after an unwanted in-flight deployment of the left engine thrust reverser, which resulted in a deterioration of aircraft performance.

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Denver Stapleton Airport
Flight 426  DEN-ICT August 7 1975
Boeing 727-224  Registration #N88777







Continental Air Lines Flight 426 crashed after takeoff from the Denver-Stapleton International Airport, Colorado. The aircraft climbed to about 100 feet above runway 35L and then crashed near the departure end of the runway. The 134 persons aboard the aircraft survived the crash; 15 persons were injured seriously. The aircraft was damaged substantially.
At the time of the accident, a thunderstorm with associated rainshowers was moving over the northern portion of the airport. The thunderstorm was surrounded by numerous other thunderstorms and associated rainshowers but none of these were in the immediate vicinity of the airport


Read Accident Report

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New York La Guardia Airport
Flight 795  LGA-DEN March 2 1994
MD-82 Registration #N18835











Prior to takeoff, the aircraft was deiced. The aircraft taxied to runway 13 and started the takeoff roll at 17:58:36. 
At 60 knots, the indicated airspeed  appeared to stop increasing. The airspeed indicator increased once from 60 knots to 80 knots, then returned to 60 knots. Takeoff was aborted at 17:59:23. Brakes were ineffective and the airplane ran off the end of the runway, coming to rest on a dike and a tidal mud flat.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the flightcrew to comply with checklist procedures to turn on an operable pitot/static heat system, resulting in ice and/or snow blockage of the pitot tubes that produced erroneous airspeed indications, and the flightcrew’s untimely response to anomalous airspeed indications with the consequent rejection of takeoff at an actual speed of 5 knots above V1."

Crew - 6      Passengers - 110
Fatalities - 0



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Houston, Tx Intercontinental Airport
Feb 26,  1996
Flight # CO1943
DC-9   Registration # N10566







The airplane slid 6,850 feet before coming to rest in the grass about 140 feet left of the runway centerline.The cabin began to fill with smoke, and the captain ordered the evacuation of the airplane.There were 82 passengers, 2 flight crew members and 3 flight attendants aboard the airplane.No fatalities or serious injuries occurred: 12 minor injuries to passengers were reported.
The following factors contributed to the accident: The flight crew's failure to properly complete the in-range checklist, which resulted in a lack of hydraulic pressure to lower the landing gear and deploy the flaps;and the flight crew's failure to perform the landing checklist and confirm that the landing gear was extended:



Read Accident Report

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Newark International Airport
June 7  1997
Boeing 727-200  Registration # N571PE





The Boeing 727-200 overshot the jetway and hit the US Air terminal building
The aircraft was being moved from the maintenance area to the terminal.

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Newark International Airport
Gate 114 Terminal C.   June 14. 2000
MD-81   Registration # N16884
















During the early hours of the morning engineers were carring out work on the aircraft
which involved removing and replacing the centre console light panel around the throttle quadrant.In order to perform this work,the throttle levers had been placed in the full power position and,to silence the take-off warning horn,the circuit breaker was pulled.After this work had been completed, another engineer, who was tasked with trouble shooting a reported engine oil quantity discrepancy, began carrying out an engine run, apparently without reference to the "Pre Power On" portion of the Taxi / Towing Checklist.
The Checklist, in part called for the checking of circuit breakers, thrust levers to idle and parking brake set, none of which was apparently done.Consequently, when the left engine was started with its thrust lever in the full power position,the aircraft jumped its chocks and ran foreward into the terminal building.The engineer and seven cabin cleaners who were on board sustained minor injuries in the incident.

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Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina
May 6, 2011
Boeing 737-800  Registration # N2221

























This Continental Airlines Boeing 737-800 (N2221) was coming out of the Greenville airport in the state of Mississippi where it had been completely repainted. Two pilots came to take possession and drove for a positioning flight to Houston, Texas. From that day, the plane would continue its career in the colors of United Airlines after the merger of it with Continental. No passengers or other crew members were on board.A faulty water pipe caused erosion under the tarmac leaving the concrete unsupported. Under the weight of the plane, a slab gave way. The left landing gear fell into the hole and was twisted backwards. The reactor and the left wing hit the ground and the plane came to a stop.Safe and sound, the pilots were able to escape from behind.

"I guess the plane just  didn't want the name United on it"

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"DID I JUST LOOSE MY JOB"









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"THIS GUY FORGOT TO DUCK"





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New Zealand
1991


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George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Houston,Texas.  November 26 1994
Boeing 737-300 Registration # N11244




"What you dont like the new colours"
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Manchester, England
Sunday March 8 , 1998




                 
 249 passengers had to be evacuated from their aircraft just before take-off
 when fuel was spotted leaking from an engine.

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