Jet Veered Back and Forth Before Crash--Witnesses

Witnesses said a Continental Airlines jet veered back and forth before it crashed on takeoff in falling snow, killing 26 people and injuring 56, but an official said today that there were no crosswinds and that the airport can operate safely in snowstorms.

The DC-9, with 82 people aboard, broke into three pieces and turned upside down, and 11 survivors were in critical condition today. The Sunday afternoon crash was the deadliest in Stapleton International Airport’s 58-year history. (Story, Page 4.)

Flight 1713 originated in Oklahoma City, stopped in Denver and was delayed by a snowstorm. It was en route to Boise, Ida., when it crashed at 2:16 p.m. MST.

A team of investigators was going through the wreckage today, but a spokesman said it may be months before a cause is known.

Barely Off Ground

Witnesses said the twin-engine DC-9 was barely off the ground when the accident happened.

“That flight lasted five seconds, maybe six,” said Navy Lt. Curtis Renfro, an aviation maintenance officer, who saw the crash from another Continental flight landing on a parallel runway.

“The last time I saw (the plane), it was grossly tilted. He was actually up on his starboard wing. When that happens, the pilot tries to flip to left to correct. He may have overcompensated,” Renfro said.

Kevin Fleming, airport operations manager, said about an eighth of an inch of wet snow was on the runway, but conditions were normal for heavy snowstorms at Stapleton. He said some runways were closed and some flights were delayed, but “there were no other problems with departures before the incident.”

‘No Crosswinds’

Asked today whether the airport should have been closed, Stapleton spokesman Richard Boulware said, “I don’t believe so, no.

“There were no crosswinds,” he said on NBC-TV’s “Today” show. Fleming said northerly winds closed the east-west runways, but the crash occurred on a north-south runway which would probably not have been affected.

Continental Airlines spokesman Bruce Hicks said at a news conference today that the airplane was de-iced less than an hour before departure.

Bob Johnson, chief of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Denver office, said up to 50 investigators may be involved in the next seven to 10 days.

Black Box Recovered

The plane’s black box, containing cockpit voice and data recorders, was recovered and being held for the investigators, but Johnson said a report on the probable cause may not be available for months.

“The right wing dropped, and we veered to the right,” said passenger Fred H. Helpenstell, a 56-year-old physician from Nampa, Ida. “Then the left wing dropped, and we veered to the left and crashed.”

At least nine flights--five United and four Continental--were canceled this morning because the airlines could not get enough planes into Denver after the crash shut the airport for several hours Sunday, airport officials said.

With the exception of the runway where the crash occurred, all runways were open today, Boulware said.