Crosswinds Loom Large in Crash Investigation

Dec. 23, 2008— -- Crosswinds loom large, as does the pilots' actions, as investigators sort through evidence to determine what caused a Continental flight to slide off a Denver runway and burst into flames.

A late Monday night update from the National Transportation Safety Board on the Saturday crash pointed to the notion that the plane's pilots did not succeed in controlling the plane in the crosswind and only then did they try to abort the takeoff.

"I think from the early indication, one of the primary focuses is going to be operational issues with the crew and how they handled the later stages of the takeoff roll with this crosswind," former NTSB investigator Greg Feith told ABC News Monday night.

The flight was fighting crosswinds estimated at 31 miles an hour as it sped down the runway, reaching 137 miles per hour, as it began its journey to Houston.

All 110 passengers and five crew members onboard the plane survived the crash when the aircraft careered into a 40-foot ravine, its right side caught fire, and the fuselage partially buckled. A total of 38 people were injured, including the captain, who is still hospitalized.

The captain at the controls at the time of the accident had been working for Continental for 11 years, and the captain and co-pilot were both experienced, investigators reported. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Monday night that the captain and co-pilot have clean safety records.

NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt also relayed more details from the early stages of the investigation and recounted what flight attendants told investigators.

"They said the airplane began, as they called it, a fishtailing and then they said there was a violent pounding before the aircraft stopped," Sumwalt said Monday night.

The plane's cockpit voice recorder also revealed that 41 seconds after the plane's takeoff roll began, there was a "bumping and rattling" sound on the recording that continued until the recording ended.

Investigators wouldn't speculate on what that noise was. It was four seconds later that pilots tried to abort the takeoff.

Although the NTSB has ruled nothing out, so far there's no evidence of any engine or brake problems.

The NTSB also singled out the actions of several people onboard the plane. There was an off-duty Continental flight crew on the plane, and Sumwalt reported that the off-duty co-pilot returned to the burning jet three times to rescue passengers and crew. One of those that the co-pilot rescued was a flight attendant with a sprained ankle. He carried that flight attendant to the firehouse.

The NTSB also said it appears that one of the passengers clearly read the emergency exit instructions and was able to open the emergency exit in an instant as people tried to get out of the plane.