Monday, December 22, 2008

Continental Flight 1404 a Boeing 737-500 Crashed at Denver Airport during takeoff

This is the account of the accident from MSNBC.com:

"It was a miracle that no one was killed when Continental flight 1404 veered sharply off a runway of Denver airport during takeoff, which burst into flames and nearly broke apart. The 110 passengers and five crew members escaped miraculously. However, thirty-eight people suffered injuries including broken bones. The plane veered off course about 2,000 feet from the end of the runway and did not appear to have gotten airborne.
It was Houston-bound Continental Flight 1404 from Denver airport. The accident happened Saturday evening(12/20/08. The entire right side of the Boeing 737-500 was burned and melted plastic from overhead compartments dripped onto the seats. -Courtesy: MSNBC.com"

Airline Passengers recount the terrifying DIA crash - The Denver Post”

More At The Denver Post”: “In the seconds after Continental Flight 1404 came to a shuddering halt in a ravine after skidding off the airport runway, chaos erupted inside the plane's cabin.
Luggage tumbled down from overhead bins, smoke filled the cabin, seats collapsed into one another, and passengers and flight attendants yelled: "Get out quick. The plane is going to explode," said Gabriel Trejos, who was traveling with his 13-month-old son and pregnant wife to Houston to visit his father and sister for Christmas.
Trejos, who is from Pueblo, was one of 110 passengers on the Boeing 737-500 that skidded off the runway and slid down a 40-foot drop Saturday night.
There were no fatalities in the first major accident in Denver International Airport's 14-year”

Continental Airlines 737 path off runway traced - The Denver Post

More At The Denver Post: “The Continental Airlines 737 jet that departed a DIA runway Saturday night traveled nearly a half mile through fields, then up and over a taxiway and airport service road like a 4-wheeling Jeep before coming to rest on its belly a short distance from an airport fire station, a site visit for news media revealed today.
The National Transportation Safety Board took a pool of reporters and photographers to the crash scene for a 20-minute visit shortly after noon today.
The tracks made by the plane's wheels were clearly visible where they veered off runway 34Right and traveled over a field, crossed taxiway WC, then dropped down a steep embankment and traveled through a depressed area before bouncing over Kewaunee Street, an airport service road.
One of the plane's main landing gears rested on the other side of Kewaunee, so it appeared that the jolt of hitting the raised roadway sheared off the main gears. The other main gear sat about 75 yards from the roadway, close to the wrecked plane.
Bill English, investigator in charge for the NTSB on the Continental crash, said he hoped his agency would have its "in situ" (in place) investigation completed by Wednesday.
"There are all kinds of systems inaccessible to us beneath the plane," English said. The plane sat about 100 yards from Kewaunee on its belly with the nose gear collapsed under the plane.”

Mike Holmgren's Walk Around Quest Field After Final Game

It's official. The Seattle Seahawk's game against The New York Jets, a successful 13 to 3 victory, marked the final game of Coach Mike Holmgren and (perhaps) the end of one of the greatest coaches in of the late 20th Century and early 21st Century.

A Bill-Walsh protege, Holmgren developed Brett Farve and together the two brought Green Bay what is still their only Super Bowl win in the post-Lombardi era. Then he took over the Seahawks and molded them into a perenially competitive team, coming within two referee calls of a Super Bowl Championship.

Holmgren finishes with an overall 161 wins to 110 losses record. Will he return home to coach the San Francisco 49ers? Doubtful. Besides, they have Mike Singletary.

Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs - 2008 Week 16

NFL Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs - 2008 Week 16 Highlights. Dolphins win over the Chiefs; as of this writing they're off to the playoffs with a 10-5 record, a dramatic turn-around from their 1-15 season of 2007.

NFL San Diego Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2008 Week 16

San Diego Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2008 Week 16 Highlights. Chargers blow out Bucs 41 to 24, placing the bolts in position to win the AFC West with a victory over the Denver Broncos next week.

Pittsburg Steelers Vs Tennesee Titans - Titans Win 31 - 14

The Tennesee Titans wrapped up home field advantage for the playoffs with this win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But something tells me they're not going to go all the way. It's not a statistically-based observation, just a feeling.

NFL Carolina Panthers at New York Giants - 2008 Week 16.

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants - 2008 Week 16 Highlights

Broncos - Bills Recap -- Sunday, December 21, 2008

NFL Network highlights from the Broncos 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

L.A. can use race as factor in magnet schools

More at SFGate: “(12-21) 17:43 PST -- Los Angeles can continue to seek racial balance in assigning tens of thousands of students to specialized magnet schools despite California's voter-approved ban on race preferences in government programs, a state appeals court has ruled.

Friday's decision by the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles preserves the long-standing desegregation program in the state's largest school district in the face of a challenge by backers of Proposition 209, the 1996 ballot measure. Lawyers in the case disagreed on whether the ruling could also affect a lawsuit against the use of race in Berkeley school enrollments.”

Hangar One Vodka Macy's San Francisco Cocktail Event

I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California

Hangar One Vodka Macy's San Francisco Cocktail Event


I was a special guest of of Liza "The Wine Chic" Zimmerman at this Hangar One Holiday Cocktail Mixing event at Macy's SF and which introduced Hangar One Vodka and Mixologist Scott Beattie. Hangar One is made in Alameda, California