- Date
- July 4, 1990, 11:31 local (17:31 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 218 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N72990Aerospatiale A-300B4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900704042919I
- Case key
- 17852
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Engine failure due to turbine wheel failure, induced by fatigue.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The captain of Continental airlines flight 1232, an A300B4 Airbus, en route from Denver to houston, aborted the takeoff at stapleton international airport after a catasrophic uncontained failure of the left engine prior to the airplane reaching V1. The airplane was broought to a stop on the runway. Two tires blew out; six tires deflated when the fuse plugs melted. One brake did not attain maximum braking effectiveness. A segment of the first stage high pressure turbine rotor disk separated. Metallurgical examination disclosed a preexisting fatigue crack.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72990
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale A-300B4 (A300B4)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 259
- Airframe hours
- 19,653
- Engine
- GE CF6-50C2, 51,400 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Continental Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Eal (Delaware) V11 Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 1, 1990 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- DEN
- Destination
- IAH · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DEN · Stapleton Int'L, runway 35R, 12,000 × 200 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,700 total · 317 in this make and model · 189 in the last 90 days · 88 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.