“Weather vaning where a strong crosswind pushes a plane’s tail and turns the aircraft’s nose into the wind, much like it turns a weather vane” is being considered as one of the causes of the Denver Crash. At the time, gusts of 37 mph were recorded. So far, the National Transportation Safety Board has cleared the plane’s brakes and engines of fault. Other possible mechanical failure could still be a possibility. Other experts say a crosswind of that mph is not strong enough to have caused a problem unless ice on the runway was also a factor.
What: Continental Airlines Boeing 737 flight 1404 Denver to Houston Registration N18611
Where: Denver International Airport on runway 34 Right
When: 20 DEC 2008 18:18 local time
Who: 107 passengers 5 crew (at least 38 injured, nothing life-threatening) Ten passengers were taken to Denver Health. 15 passengers were taken to the Medical Center of Aurora. University Hospital in Aurora took in eight. Four passengers were taken to Swedish Hospital
Why: The plane suffered a runway excursion at runway 34R during takeoff, slid into a ditch and caught fire after the crash. The #1 engine separated from the wing and the undercarriage collapsed. There was a 31 knot (36 mph) crosswind.
Passengers debarked on emergency slides as the plane burned. 38 people were taken to 4 Denver hospitals with injuries ranging from broken bones to bumps and bruises. Fire burned the right side of the plane. Two patients at University of Colorado Hospital initially listed in fair condition were downgraded to critical condition with fractures.

By the time the passengers had evacuated, the fire had spread inside and started melting the luggage compartments.

Debris remained on the runway, with the plane about 200 yards away and its landing gear and left engine shorn off.

The plane’s first flight was 1994-05-31.It has 2 CFMI CFM56-3C1 engines.
NTSB Preliminary Report: Identification: DCA09MA021
Scheduled 14 CFR Part 121: Air Carrier operation of CONTINENTAL AIRLINES INC
Accident occurred Saturday, December 20, 2008 in Denver, CO
Aircraft: BOEING 737, registration: N18611
Injuries: 5 Serious, 27 Minor, 83 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On December 20, 2008, at 1818 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 (DEN). The scheduled, domestic passenger flight, operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121, was enroute to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas. There were 37 injuries among the passengers and crew, and no fatalities. The airplane was substantially damaged and experienced post-crash fire. The weather observation in effect nearest the time of the accident was reported to be winds at 290 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.