''It was very, very bad,'' he recalled. Survivors of the crash said that, in the moments after the plane careened to a halt, many were able to free themselves from their seat belts and squirm through the shattered fuselage onto the snowy grass between two runways. I was grateful that I would have a second chance.". [1] Flight 1713 was Bruecher's first flight after a 24-day absence from flight duties and the NTSB concluded that this prolonged absence had eroded the newly hired first officer's retention of his recent training, which contributed to his poor takeoff performance.[1]. [1] Having already completed deicing, Flight 1713's crew seem to have interpreted this new clearance to mean they could now taxi from the pad and proceed to the runway. . Twenty-eight people lost their lives on Nov. 15, 1987. When the NTSB released its report on Flight 1713, it specifically mentioned the fact that "almost 3 minutes of non-pertinent social conversation" had occurred before takeoff. The two had no idea that a simple seat change would ultimately allow them to live another day. Robbie Knapp, Boise, Idaho, fair. I heard that one young man, among the first out, went back in to help extricate people., Ritvo said the survivors he saw were really bearing up heroically . Anthony Nasballah, Jacksonville, Fla., age unknown. BIOG: Of the 82 occupants on board (77 passengers and 5 Two years after Continental Airlines flight 1713 crashed while on take-off at Denver's Stapleton International Airport killing 28 people, memories among survivors still are vivid and their hearts and minds still are healing. ''We had a good de-icing treatment,'' Allegrezza said, ''but then the plane was still on the ground 20 or 25 minutes later and I could see snow on the wing. (The airline had erroneously said Sunday that the flight had come from Oklahoma City.). Some of those passengers were able to disentangle others from seat belts or wreckage. ''I had a feeling most people who died were in the front,'' said Shirley Weltz, 49 years old, who sat three rows from the back of the plane. 1 More posts from the aircrashinvestigation community 137 Posted by u/Yeet_Man1982 7 days ago Incident/Accident The pilot, Frank Zvonek, 43, had extensive experience in airplanes ranging from carrier-based Navy fighters to 727 widebody passenger jets, but he had only 33 hours` flight time as captain aboard the moderately sized DC-9s, and all of that had been in the warm weather months since June, Burnett said. Flight 1713 crashed shortly after Denver`s first blizzard of the fall. DENVER (AP) _ Debi Paschkov says she woke from a doze aboard Continental Airlines Flight 1713 to feel the plane sliding on the runway and see a ball of fire right outside her window. "I don't have the grimness of the crash in my mind," the Nampa college administrator said, grateful for that small consolation. ''After the crash, the majority of people in the back were talking or getting out. [1] Fitzsimons Army Medical Center sent its personnel to assist in the triage of passengers and 10 hospitals treated the survivors. None of the 20 passengers in the last four rows of Continental Airlines' Flight 1713 died when the DC-9 crashed just after takeoff a week ago today, a survey shows. Another passenger died Monday, bringing the death toll to 27. . Fellow survivor Ken Watson has no such demons. "I was on a professional track, and I was knocked off that track," Watson said. Screams that filled the cold air continue to fill Vermeulen's dreams. Dr. Fred Helpenstell, 56, Nampa, Idaho, released. Ann Nasrallah, 22, Jacksonville, Fla., critical. But the pilot was among the dead, and an airline employe who had talked to a survivor said most passengers near the front of the plane also had died. The clearance delivery controller, believing that Flight 1713 was still at the gate and requesting to proceed to deicing, instructed the flight to contact Ground Control, who then cleared Flight 1713 to taxi to the deicing pad. Caldwell police arrest New Jersey man suspected of sexually assaulting teen, 'It was a real surprise': Eagle Senior Center Inc. frustrated with city's decision to terminate lease, Record heat continues with isolated t-storms, then cooler by Friday, Flood watch in effect for portions of southeast Idaho, Wood River Foothills, 1 dead at site of small plane crash near Snoqualmie Pass, Plane crashes into building near Milan; all 8 aboard die, Remembering 9/11 through the eyes of three Idahoans. Vermeulen still is undergoing psychiatric care because of the feelings he has about the crash. Continental said a memorial service for the victims was planned this afternoon at Denver University. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. Crash Survivors Tell of Horrors; Toll Rises to 27 (Certificates, multi-city and upgrades) Bag rules and fees for optional services. Engelhardt, of Denver, was released from the hospital Monday but asked not to be disturbed. Of the 82 people aboard, 55 emerged alive. Six students -- nearly one-fifth of the senior class -- and their two adult advisers from Melba High School were returning from a Future Farmers of America convention. Kenneth Watson, 45, Nampa, Idaho, critical but stable. The jetliner, bound for Boise, Idaho, was airborne only a few seconds when it went down on a runway at Stapleton International Airport during a snowstorm. There were five crew members and 77 passengers aboard, most from Idaho. Nine months after the crash of Flight 1713, Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 crashed in Dallas. Helpenstell had been flying home from his father's funeral when the DC9 jetliner cartwheeled seconds after takeoff and skidded, almost upside down, for a quarter-mile on the ground. Both pilots and 26 others on the plane were killed. 'Some of them are of the crash. As the DC-9 skidded, the left side was tilted over and the tail was inverted; this action caused the middle part of the DC-9 to compress and crush many of the passengers on board. --Mechanical failure. I didnt feel any slipping or sliding or buffeting down the runway, Helpenstell said. Remembering the 1987 Stapleton Airport crash of Flight James Marria, 38, Boise, Idaho, critical. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. They were digging them out row by row, said Denver firefighter Joe Cipri. The crash killed 28 people. But a N.T.S.B. One flight attendant, Diana Mechling, 33, died in the crash; two other flight attendants survived. Where there was tragedy, there were also miracles, and stories of tremendous luck and even greater courage. The plane flipped on its left side and rolled over, breaking in the middle and at least one other place. Helpenstell, who was returning from his fathers funeral, was wedged into a fetal position for what seemed like an eternity in temperatures that plunged below freezing. [1] Investigators also concluded that enough wet snow landed on Flight 1713 after deicing was complete to melt and dilute the deicing fluid, which allowed ice to reform on the wings. . One flight attendant, Diana Mechling, 33, died in the crash; two other flight attendants survived. April 28 (UPI) -- A lost dog in Northern Ireland was found 26 days later after walking more than 40 miles to the home of his former owners. He was traveling unaccompanied on Flight 826 to spend Christmas in Yonkers with relatives. They eventually were able to put up large space heaters to warm the trapped passengers as temperatures fell and night winds blew. . My weight pushing against the seat belt made it impossible for me to open the buckle with my right hand. Paschkov, 32 of Boise, and her 6-year-old daughter, Melissa, were at Denver General Hospital this morning. Reporting on early interviews and the first examination of the wreckage, Burnett acknowledged that the first order of business will include exploring suspicions such as those expressed by Allegrezza that the crash was caused by ice buildup on the wings, a phenomenon aviators call ''leading edge accretion.''. The plane lifted off the ground, dipped one way and then back, caught a wing and flipped on its top. (Credit NASA) Confusion and delays NTSB investigators discovered that the fatal blow to Continental 1713 was ice contamination which was not removed prior to take-off. I never passed out. Vermeulen suffered four broken ribs and a punctured lung in the crash, but had recovered enough by late winter to run in the Long Beach, Calif., marathon. The copilot, Edward Lee Bruecher, 26, who had been hired by Continental in July, had only 36 hours` flight time on DC-9s, Burnett said. . Two more passengers died later. Not only as an inspiration to live each moment with gratitude, but to also appreciate the small moments in life - and small decisions. Planes are grounded at Stapleton when forward visibility drops to less than 1,600 feet because ''that visibility indicates heavy amounts of snow and ice in the air,'' Burnett explained. Frank B. Zvonek, 42, Continental pilot, Carlsbad, Calif. First Officer Lee Edward Bruecher, 26, Houston, Texas. WebOn November 15, 1987, Continental Airlines, Inc., flight 1713, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14, N626TX, was operating as a regularly scheduled, passenger-carrying flight between It happened so slowly that I had the time to think it three times, said Dr. Fred Helpenstell, a 56-year-old orthopedic surgeon from Nampa, Ida. Said Comstock, "They lost most of their steam; their emotional desire was drained from them.". Aussie tourist 'very sorry' for drunken, nude rampage in Indonesia. The takeoff was delayed about two hours because of the heavy snow driven by a 20-mph wind. "I was sliding along the ground," an animated Hobbs said today. 'After you've been through one (crash), you sometimes think you're all alone with your feelings. Paschkov was uninjured but suffered shock, and Melissa was in fair condition, being tested for internal injuries. 0:41 Here is a partial list of fatalities in the crash Sunday of Continental Flight 1713 in Denver: Capt. Some passengers on Flight 1713 were thrown from the plane by the impact. Cookie policy. [1] [6], A total of 25 passengers and three crew members died due to the crash; the final two fatalities succumbed while hospitalized. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Continental Airlines Flight 1713". The seats that we originally had where the plane split apart from the middle front, we would have been dead. Stranded bear rescued from Nevada tree using tranquilizer, tarp. "I was going to do a talk at an outfitter meeting on Monday the next day. Reports from rescue workers indicated that most passengers who were thrown out of the plane were killed. It would be nice to know there are people who are going through the same thing. Linck said a fireball erupted through the passenger compartment about five seconds after takeoff and the plane pitched wildly out of control. At the news briefings Tuesday, Burnett indicated that investigators are paying particular attention to suspicions that ice on the wings caused the disaster. Comstock said the case was the biggest of his career and the most frustrating. Continental Airlines Flight 1713 - Alchetron, the free social Those riding the Denver-to-Boise flight included a group of eight from the high school in the tiny town of Melba, just south of Boise. Adding to speculation about icing being at fault in the crash was the acknowledgment by Continental officials on Monday that the airline used a new system designed especially to speed up the de-icing operation at Stapleton. Helpenstell was not alone in wondering how and why he and so many other passengers survived the accident. The NTSB said it is still too early to tell whether there was any major system malfunction. The pounding he took in the Continental Airlines crash in Denver two years ago today has erased a full month from his consciousness. He spent the next 10 hours wondering why he hadn't. Stapleton International Airport spokesman Richard Boulware speculated the fire may have been the result of a gas tank catching fire behind the plane. Airline officials confirmed that the DC-9 was briefly airborne before it veered off the slushy runway and slammed into a shallow gully. He is critical of the efficiency-minded multidistrict litigation process, which forced federal suits to consolidate in Colorado, and bound litigants to the bellwether trial of Boisean Karen Svea Johnson. She was rubbing his hands to keep him as warm as possible, Hicks said. ', Loaf of bread lures escaped pig back home in England. There were no survivors among the 97 passengers and five crew members on board. . Two members of the working crew of Flight 1713 survived the crash, both flight attendants. April 29 (UPI) -- An Australian tourist facing possible flogging after being accused of going on a drunken nude rampage in the Indonesian province of Ache says he felt "almost possessed" at the time. He was thrown from the plane into a snowbank, where his burning clothing was extinguished. '', Continental has declined to release seating information, saying it may be inaccurate because passengers frequently switch seats. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? The toll rose to 28 late Tuesday with the death of James Marria, 38, of Boise, at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Continental Airlines Flight 1713 | Detailed Pedia --Human error. Web22 Continental Flight 1713 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 22 Continental Flight 1713 Premium High Of the 27 still hospitalized, six were listed in critical condition. Agency Seeks Data. I want to tell you, a lot of things pass before your eyes when something like that happens, said Helpenstell. SCARS REMAIN FROM DENVER DC-9 CRASH 2 YEARS LATER [1] Based on this, the NTSB concluded that a small amount of ice on the wings had caused Flight 1713 to have significant controllability problems. Some witnesses reported a brief fire on-board as the plane crashed, although the NTSB said that none of the victims suffered burns. On that date last year, Vermeulen was sitting in the first-class section of Continental Airlines Flight 1713 as it began rolling down the snow-covered Runway 35-Left at Stapleton International Airport. Allegrezza, a chiropractor from Boise, Idaho, was the first of the 54 surviving passengers to be interviewed by safety board investigators. WebThe impact and subsequent uncontrolled descent severed the right wing of the Cessna; the main wreckage and left wing were found in an empty parking lot 6,500 ft (2,000 m) from the approach end of runway 17. AIR DATE is 4 July 2018 on @DiscoveryCanada and 6 July 2018 on @natgeoau . He said he hopes the service 'will bring everyone together in a positive way. The plane sat on the ground 27 minutes after being de-iced, although Continental's policy requires de-icing every 20 minutes. And legal battles continue. Then came the crash, serious head injuries and lengthy rehabilitation. April 28 (UPI) -- A Nebraska high school said it broke a Guinness World Record when more than 1,000 students participated in a water balloon toss event. Linck, who was leaving on a hunting trip to Idaho, said he was pinned for about an hour, and part of the time talked with a girl who was pinned beneath him. A lot of people were screaming. ''All I know is that the middle took it the worst,'' Mr. Benzon said. Diane McElhiney, 40, Mountain Home, Idaho, guarded. Rescue workers, their hair and faces coated with still-falling snow, set up bright stage lights around the darkened plane so they could see inside. Vermeulen was the only person in the front section of the DC-9 to survive. "After a few minutes of euphoria, I thought, 'We're going to burn now,' " Helpenstell recalled. Eventually, they cut a hole in the side of the plane beside him and slid him out feet first. The girl, he said, was concerned about getting enough air. The whole fuselage twisted like a chicken whose neck was wrung, said airport official Richard Boulware. REAR PASSENGERS SURVIVED AIR CRASH - The New York Continental Airlines Flight 1713 British man breaks world record with 17 flesh tunnels on his face. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. '', He distributed a report from the FAA that said setting a 20-minute limit, ''is not considered in the best interest of flight safety,'' because it might encourage flight crews to always wait 20 minutes for an inspection after de-icing when sometimes ''ice may form in a much shorter period.''. [3] The first officer was 26-year-old Lee Edward Bruecher, hired by Continental four months earlier; he had previously flown for Rio Airways[3] and passed his initial proficiency check in the DC-9 in mid-September. Survivors who talked about the crash and its aftermath described a few seconds of sheer horror, followed by a few moments of elation when they realized that they were alive and hours of waiting for rescue workers to cut them from the crumbled fuselage. Climate change sparks disaster fears, Police manhunt continues for suspect in Texas mass shooting, A powerhouse U.S. doctor slain in Sudan, killed for nothing, In final Mass in Budapest, pope urges Hungary to open doors, What GOPs plan for Medicaid work requirements would mean. A total of 55 people survived the crash Sunday afternoon, many of them walking away from the twisted debris with just scratches and bruises. The pair agreed the crash changed their lives. WebContinental Airlines Flight 1713was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airportin Denver, Colorado, on The The crash was observed by passengers on a Continental flight that was returning to Denver from a Las Vegas, Nev., convention of psychiatrists. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on The Douglas DC-9 airliner, operated by Continental Airlines, was making a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho. There was total calm on the ship.. T. R. Reid, a former Washington Post reporter, columnist and foreign correspondent, started work at the paper on inauguration day in 1977. The NTSB concluded that a build-up of ice on the wings of Flight 1713 had contaminated the surfaces of both of the wings prior to departure, based on reports from surviving passengers that they had seen "patches" of ice on the wings after deicing was complete. After an eerie, stunned silence, the screams began. The News said at least 17 of the 25 passengers killed sat in rows eight through 15 - the middle section near where the plane broke into pieces. The tragic crash killed He had 12,125 hours of flight experience, but only 166 hours on the DC-9, or "in type." Flight attendant Diana Mechling, 33, Aurora. Survivors were taken to Denver-area hospitals, where three were in critical condition today. He added that the safety board recently warned commuter airlines against assigning new pilots and copilots to the same flight. "There was discomfort, but no hysteria," among the passengers as they hung upside down in their seat belts awaiting rescue, he recalled. Broke in the Middle. I thought I was going to die. The right wing dropped . Her daughter, Molla, said today that Prasad had suffered a concussion but would be able to return home soon -- by train. Everyone was afraid of a fire, she said. Paschkov trembled as she recalled how she and another passenger lifted Melissa up through a tiny hole in a pile of seats inside the wreckage. [1], Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was scheduled to depart Denver at 12:25, but many flights out of Denver that day were delayed by the inclement weather. Two years after Continental Airlines flight 1713 crashed while on take-off at Denver's Stapleton International Airport killing 28 people, memories among survivors ", Watson opted to settle his claims rather than go through "a public court session," and he concludes he was "reasonably satisfied with the process.". [1], At 14:05, Flight 1713 was lined up on the number-one position at the north end of Runway 35L and the crew was ready for take off. Alligator removed from South Carolina resident's garage. The captain, the first officer, one flight attendant and 11 of the passengers died from blunt trauma. The survivors included Vicky Prasad of Gaithersburg, Md., who works at CNA Insurance Co. in Rockville. Two of the students and one of the adults were listed as missing and presumed dead today; the others are recovering from injuries. I didnt know if I was in the front or the side (of the plane) until I got out, she said. . Excess ice on wings can cripple a takeoff in snowy weather, but Continental said the plane was sprayed with a hot (190-degree) mixture of alcohol and water about 20 minutes before takeoff. BOISE, Idaho It was 34 years ago that Continental Flight 1713 en route to Boise crashed on the runway of Denver's old Stapleton Airport. He's also teaching chemistry, but he finds his emotional energy level isn't what it used to be, and that is troubling. . Much of the testimony is expected to focus on the relative inexperience of the pilot and co-pilot, and on the weather. April 28 (UPI) -- A bear stuck in a Nevada tree was rescued by wildlife officials and firefighters who tranquilized the bruin and then caught the large animal in a tarp. He said she was rescued first and he never learned her name. Ice contamination shown on a wing. The flight, which left in a blinding Documents supplied by Continental on Monday indicated that the system had not been fully tested because after it was installed in early 1987, the winter turned mild. Two members of the working crew of Flight 1713 survived the crash, both flight attendants. All Rights Reserved, SCARS REMAIN FROM DENVER DC-9 CRASH 2 YEARS LATER. There will undoubtedly be tears shed - tears of joy for the 54 who lived, tears of sorrow for the 28 who perished. Twenty-eight of the 82 people aboard died. Fifty-four people survived. No plans were made for a second observance, which some attribute to a yearning by survivors to get on with their lives.