The Nation - News from Aug. 31, 1988

The pilots of a Continental Airlines jet laughed about the dating habits of a flight attendant but never discussed the blizzard outside moments before the plane crashed in Denver last November, a copyright report in the Denver Post said. Continental’s Flight 1713 flipped over on takeoff at Stapleton International Airport Nov. 15, 1987, killing both pilots and 26 other people. During its investigation, the NTSB has determined that co-pilot Lee Edward Breucher, 26, was at the controls when the DC-9 crashed. A two-minute, 45-second portion of the cockpit conversation had been deleted from transcripts issued by the NTSB last January. The board said at the time that portion, which included the comments about the flight attendant, was not pertinent to the investigation.