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continental airlines flight 1713 survivors

    continental airlines flight 1713 survivors

    Twenty-eight of the 82 people aboard died. Helpenstell recalled today that rescuers reached him fairly soon after the crash but were unable to move him until they had removed several rows of seats behind him. "Just going through my life and being kind to people. [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. [1], During the investigation, the crew's low levels of experience on the DC-9 were brought up as possible causes. I thought, Oh my God, this is going to burn, Helpenstell said. I want to tell you, a lot of things pass before your eyes when something like that happens, said Helpenstell. The pounding he took in the Continental Airlines crash in Denver two years ago today has erased a full month from his consciousness. Robert Linck, 60, Green Pond, N.J., fair. [7], The NTSB investigated the accident. 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. Ann Nasrallah, 22, Jacksonville, Fla., critical. He made five flights before he had to stop because of the terrible nightmares. Advanced search. Two of the 54 survivors were Tom and Jennifer Allegrezza. Since the fatal crash, the two have collected countless newspapers and laminated clippings from reports of the crash. Of the 27 still hospitalized, six were listed in critical condition. I came very close to hypothermia and I did my best to keep calm by using self-hypnosis.''. They were digging them out row by row, said Denver firefighter Joe Cipri. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/23/us/rear-passengers-survived-air-crash.html. . 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. People were hurting, Helpenstell said. Two hours after the crash, Allegrezza finally was cut loose from the wreckage and taken to a Denver hospital. Alligator removed from South Carolina resident's garage. After an eerie, stunned silence, the screams began. Frank Zvonek, 43, 18-year Continental pilot, Carlsbad, Calif. First Officer Lee Bruecher, 26, Houston, Texas. "The person that was sitting in the seat that I was supposed to sit in isn't here. In 1982, after an Air Florida jet became ice-bound and crashed into the Potomac River on takeoff from Washington`s National Airport, the board recommended that the FAA require pilots and ground crews to inspect wings and control surfaces whenever an airplane remained on the ground 20 minutes after being de-iced. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. "I've made it through an air crash.". ''I could smell the stink of kerosene and I couldn`t stop thinking about how a spark could set the thing off like a bomb. [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. Everyone was afraid of a fire, she said. . Linck said a fireball erupted through the passenger compartment about five seconds after takeoff and the plane pitched wildly out of control. [10] However, the NTSB investigated the wake-turbulence theory and concluded that wake turbulence from the preceding flight would not have affected Flight 1713. [1], At 13:51, Flight 1713 contacted the clearance delivery controller for permission to "taxi from the ice pad." [1], The NTSB also determined that First Officer Bruecher's poor performance during takeoff had likely contributed to his loss of control of the airplane. Helpenstell, hanging upside down in his seatbelt, was pried from the mangled wreckage of Continental Airlines Flight 1713 2 1/2 hours after it crashed on a runway at Stapleton Airport here. Diane McElhiney, 40, Mountain Home, Idaho, guarded. I was grateful that I would have a second chance.". April 28 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman won a $300,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket just three years after winning a $250,000 lottery jackpot. [1] Not kept properly informed of Flight 1713s position, the air traffic controllers tried repeatedly to have different planes take off, leaving Flight 1713 standing in the falling snow for several minutes and opening the airliner to the risk of "wing contamination" by ice. Nearly 10 months after the crash, he tried to start working again. Twenty-eight people lost their lives on Nov. 15, 1987. U.S. District Judge Sherman Finesilver held that all but a few more recently filed cases were bound by Johnson's "exemplar" judgment, and thus could not seek punitive damages. Dr. Jonathan Ritvo, director of psychiatric emergency services at Denver General Hospital, said he was impressed with the human spirit that comes out at times like these . James Marria, 38, Boise, Idaho, critical. There was total calm on the ship.. 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. ''It was very, very bad,'' he recalled. 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. Then came the crash, serious head injuries and lengthy rehabilitation. "It's terribly frustrating that it takes so long to get anything accomplished," Daniel said. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Two other survivors, Robert Linck, 60, of Green Pond, N. J., and Laura Hobbs, 20, of Eagle, Ida., also told dramatic stories on Monday. I just hoped that it wouldnt hurt too much.. Chicago mayor calls on Texas to cease sending migrants to the city, Daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Shaquil Barrett drowns in family pool, First Republic Bank seized by regulators, sold to JPMorgan Chase, Florida Panthers rally past Boston Bruins for NHL playoff series upset, SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches following aborted mission, delays. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.[1]. '', Continental has declined to release seating information, saying it may be inaccurate because passengers frequently switch seats. Paschkov said her seat and others became unbolted so that when the plane came to a stop upside down she was seated right side up while her daughter was hanging upside down. April 28 (UPI) -- Animal services officers in South Carolina responded to a home where a resident was shocked to find an alligator in his garage. WebThe left side of the plane and the flight deck hit the ground afterward and the plane continued to roll upside down. Neither has returned to work. [1] The aircraft was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7B engines. AIR DATE is July 4, 2018 for Discovery Canada and July 6, 2018 for Nat Geo Australia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. His career outlook was bright. However, investigators were reported to be focusing on a number of possible factors: --The weather. Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is Copyright 2009-2022, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Here is a partial list of fatalities in the crash Sunday of Continental Flight 1713 in Denver: Capt. My psychiatrist tells me that the same thing happened in the crash. ''I was somewhat apprehensive and, as the takeoff roll started, I fastened my seat belt as tight as I could.''. "I was on a professional track, and I was knocked off that track," Watson said. The aircraft went up about 100 feet before it turned upside down and landed on its roof, according to Tom Allegrezza. Of the 82 people aboard, 55 emerged alive. Vermeulen, 24, was an off-duty Continental flight attendant at the time, on his way home to Boise, Idaho, to be with his parents for Thanksgiving. The flight, which left in a blinding NAME: Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The extent of her injuries was not known. . 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 Helpenstell, who escaped with only a broken finger and chills, was trapped in the wreckage for more than two hours before a man named Larry was able to free him. The decision found the airlines guilty of "reckless misconduct" but innocent of gross negligence. The nightmares, which sometimes repeat themselves twice in a night, never change. If youve ever seen an airplane crash, this is nothing in terms of fire, he said. He said McDonnell Douglas Corp., maker of the planes, has issued warnings that these planes are more prone to ice buildup because they lack slats that were installed in later models to prevent that problem. Helpenstell could hear screams and cries of distress from some passengers, while others prayed quietly. 'In my dreams, I run up to the cockpit to try to control the airplane. Times researcher Dallas Jamison contributed to this story. ''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. Comstock said the case was the biggest of his career and the most frustrating. 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. At his first news conference, Burnett said the disaster might have been prevented had federal officials taken precautions about de-icing aircraft that the safety board recommended in 1982. Patrick Lovelady, 17, Melba, Idaho, fair but stable. "It's really eye-opening to see how long the process takes. saying, well, that couldnt possibly be me . [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. His book on the 1960 election will be published next year. Continental spokesman Bruce Hicks said the two surviving flight attendants from the five-member crew ignored their own injuries to help passengers in the aftermath of the disaster. She was rubbing his hands to keep him as warm as possible, Hicks said. Dates*. In February 1990, Reader's Digest detailed the flight crew and some of the passengers in its article "Miracle In The Blizzard.". . . All Rights Reserved, SCARS REMAIN FROM DENVER DC-9 CRASH 2 YEARS LATER. Flight 1713 was operated using a 21-year old McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14, a twin-engined, narrow-body jet airliner with the registration number N626TX. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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 tragic crash killed Stapleton was replaced by Denver International Airport in 1995. I tried to think about other things--other trips, things in the past, my wife and family, he said. The News said at the Nampa, Idaho, surgeon said today as he recovered from his remarkably minor injuries: hypothermia and a broken finger. One flight attendant, Diana Mechling, 33, died in the crash; two other flight attendants survived. "I was going to do a talk at an outfitter meeting on Monday the next day. The toll rose to 28 late Tuesday with the death of James Marria, 38, of Boise, at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. So I wanted to sit in the back with my secretaries so they could take notes and type it up for me," Tom Allegrezza recalled. As they were crawling out, passengers unbuckled the seat belts to help those who couldnt do it themselves. DENVER For two hours after the crash of Flight 1713, Dr. Tom Allegrezza sat upside down, strapped into his seat, while jet kerosene fuel dripped down on his clothing and soaked the blanket firefighters had provided to keep him warm during their rescue effort. Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was taking off from Stapleton Airport for Boise, Idaho. A fuel-fed flash fire ignited in the left wing shortly after it struck the ground, causing a "fireball" inside the cabin. 25 people died while the other 52 survived. Eventually, they cut a hole in the side of the plane beside him and slid him out feet first. 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 . He said she was rescued first and he never learned her name. WebSurvivors: 54: Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, April 28 (UPI) -- The PGA Tour's Mexico Open was briefly interrupted when a swarm of bees sent a group of golfers ducking in the grass. Sometimes survivors feel guilty that they were not able to do anything to help other people in the situation, he said. . I didnt know if I was in the front or the side (of the plane) until I got out, she said. 'After you've been through one (crash), you sometimes think you're all alone with your feelings. . 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. We were skidding on our side and eating dirt, said crash survivor Libby Smoot of Ketchum, Idaho. A lot are about just any plane crash. Burnett said those preliminary interviews indicate the following scenario: Just after it disappeared into the white wall of snow out of view of the next plane awaiting takeoff, the DC-9 pitched violently to the left, then to the right, and flipped over, landing on its back. The right wing dropped . Helpenstell was not alone in wondering how and why he and so many other passengers survived the accident. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Cookie policy. Vermeulen was the only person in the front section of the DC-9 to survive. Both pilots and 26 others on the plane were killed. David Daniel, 45, Idaho, improved over serious. 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.''. We have one rule in our house and it's 'Do the right thing.' Two of the students and one of the adults were listed as missing and presumed dead today; the others are recovering from injuries. Frank B. Zvonek, 42, Continental pilot, Carlsbad, Calif. First Officer Lee Edward Bruecher, 26, Houston, Texas. , The people I talked to thought they were incredibly lucky and fortunate. --Mechanical failure. An F.A.A. As survivors struggle to heal bodies and minds, a liability tug-of-war drags on, possibly for years to come. (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. [1] Deicing was completed at 13:46. Fred H. Helpenstell, a physician from Nampa, Idaho, was trapped in the fuselage for two hours. Bonnie Smith, El Paso, ?Texas, age unknown. I thought I was going to die. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Agency Seeks Data. Burnett noted that safety board files show that three DC-9 jets similar to the jet that crashed Sunday, called a DC-9-10, have crashed because of ice buildup on the leading edges of their wings. and there was a thump--not a violent thing--and then it lurched to the left in the same way, the Idaho surgeon said. Richard D. Verheul, 54, Stuart, Fla. A partial list of survivors includes: Paul Vermuelen, 23, Boise, Idaho, serious. The two had no idea that a simple seat change would ultimately allow them to live another day. Hobbs, an Idaho State University student returning from a Future Farmers of America Convention in Kansas City, said that when the plane crashed, she slid along the ground while strapped into the center of a three-section seat with two other people. Patti Halford, 27, Boise, Idaho, released. Scottish Island for sale with asking price of $188,000. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. "As time passed, I became more confident that we were going to be all right . Thats one way of trying to get some distance from the situation . I'm thinking that maybe there should be a national organization for plane crash survivors. The plane flipped on its left side and rolled over, breaking in the middle and at least one other place. "I thought, my Lord," he said today. I didnt feel any slipping or sliding or buffeting down the runway, Helpenstell said. A total of 55 people survived the crash Sunday afternoon, many of them walking away from the twisted debris with just scratches and bruises. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Wildfires in Anchorage? The cause of the crash is under investigation, but many survivors and witnesses say the plane veered wildly to the right and then to the left before crashing. Dr. Fred Helpenstell, 56, Nampa, Idaho, released. One flight attendant, Diana Mechling, 33, died in the crash; two other flight attendants survived. 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. 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. survival-factors group is trying to piece together its own a seating chart. They eventually were able to put up large space heaters to warm the trapped passengers as temperatures fell and night winds blew. He said he told her: Youre talking fast enough, youve got to be getting oxygen.. The plane had lifted off the ground, then the right wing touched and the plane nosed into the ground. "I lay awake all night, not tossing or turning, but wondering: Why did I get out?" Two members of the working crew of Flight 1713 survived the crash, both flight attendants. [4], At the time of the accident on Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service was reporting moderate wet snow at Stapleton International Airport. Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight which crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, [8] [9], In July 1988, Continental Airlines filed a report with the NTSB positing the causes of the crash as wake turbulence, poor snow plowing on the runway and errors by air traffic controllers. 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. Where there was tragedy, there were also miracles, and stories of tremendous luck and even greater courage. "There was discomfort, but no hysteria," among the passengers as they hung upside down in their seat belts awaiting rescue, he recalled. 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. Jim Burnett, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board team investigating the crash, said that it could take months to determine what caused the accident. See the article in its original context from. [1] Fitzsimons Army Medical Center sent its personnel to assist in the triage of passengers and 10 hospitals treated the survivors. The survivors included Vicky Prasad of Gaithersburg, Md., who works at CNA Insurance Co. in Rockville. ''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. The plane sat on the ground 27 minutes after being de-iced, although Continental's policy requires de-icing every 20 minutes. [2] [1] In 21 years of service, it had accumulated over 52,400 flight hours and over 61,800 cycles. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation of the accident determined that the most probable cause of the accident was the failure on the part of the pilot in command to have the aircraft deiced a second time before takeoff. The flight, which left in a blinding snowstorm, was en route to Boise with 77 passengers and a crew of five. One survivor told me that what he saw on the news this morning--he had been in the tail section of the plane--must have been about a different plane. The seats that we originally had where the plane split apart from the middle front, we would have been dead. "My mind got banged around, and it left me different. He suffered hypothermia, despite rescuers attempts to warm trapped passengers with auxiliary power units. I can see the pilot and I want to take control. Robbie Knapp, Boise, Idaho, fair. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled Sept. 27 that ice on the plane's wings and relative inexperience of the two pilots were the major contributing factors of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) characterized the crash as "nonsurvivable". Web22 Continental Flight 1713 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 22 Continental Flight 1713 Premium High 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. "There's no doubt in my mind that the anniversary will be a very black day for many of them," said Denver attorney John Breit, who has handled many of the survivors' lawsuits. 1 Adult. William Spalsbury, age, hometown unknown. "I had time to think that a couple of times over. 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. As he emerged into the arms of a fireman, he began to realize how fortunate he was.

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