Aerospatiale A-300B4 incident near Denver, Colorado, July 4, 1990
On July 4, 1990 at about 5:31 pm local time, a Aerospatiale A-300B4, registered N72990, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 218 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO TURBINE WHEEL FAILURE, INDUCED BY FATIGUE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1990 · about 5:31 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 218 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale A-300B4 A300B4
- Registration
- N72990 · no longer on the register · serial 259
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,700 hours in all; 317 in this make and model; 189 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,653 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 1, 1990; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 363,700 lb
- Seats: 257
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DEN at 5:31 pm
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35R, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 207 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.