Aviation

21.12, runway incident

US: thirty-eight passengers were injured when a Boeing 737-500 went off a runway and caught fire at Denver International Airport. There were 112 passengers and crew members on board the aircraft, Continental Airlines flight 1404, which was taking off en route to Houston. Denver fire services said the aircraft “crashed, caught fire” and flames extended into the cabin. The right wing and the fuselage was cracked. The aircraft had not become fully airborne because if it had, “you would have seen a lot more damage.” Denver’s temperature was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but “ice was not a factor,” according to the fire services. Passengers evacuated the aircraft using emergency slides.