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DEN92IA007

1991-10-30 · COLORADO SPRING, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport COS

N1808U has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (BOEING 737-8, built 2022), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE CAPTAIN'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION AND THE COPILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. FACTORS WERE: THE CROSSWIND AND SNOW/ICE ON THE RUNWAY.

Factual narrative

AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED 50 KIAS ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL, IT DRIFTED RIGHT. THE FIRST OFFICER, WHO WAS MAKING THE TAKEOFF, CORRECTED WITH LEFT RUDDER. RIGHT DRIFT BECAME MORE PRONOUNCED AND HARD LEFT RUDDER WAS USED. THE CAPTAIN TOOK OVER, RETARDED ALL THREE THROTTLES, THEN ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN CONTROL BY USING ASYMMETRICAL THRUST. WHEN THIS FAILED, THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDED AND REVERSE THRUST APPLIED. POST INCIDENT INSPECTION DISCLOSED NO APPARENT DAMAGE. THE NEXT MORNING, A DIFFERENT CREW REJECTED THE TAKEOFF WHEN THE NO. 3 ENGINE FAILED. POST INCIDENT DISASSEMBLY AND INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE DISCLOSED METAL IN THE TAILPIPE, SAND AND MUD IN THE COMPRESSOR SECTION, AND A 13TH STAGE AND TWO 14TH STAGE COMPRESSOR BLADES BROKEN OFF, CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BOTH THE LOW AND HIGH PRESSURE TURBINES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_DEN92IA007.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.