Boeing 737-400 accident near Denver, Colorado, April 14, 1995
On April 14, 1995 at about 4:26 am local time, a Boeing 737-400, registered EICEU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denver, Colorado (Denver International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PROPER DESCENT RATE NOT MAINTAINED BY THE FIRST OFFICER, RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING. FACTORS WERE UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS AND THE CAPTAIN'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF THE FIRST OFFICER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1995 · about 4:26 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-400 · all 737-400s on the register
- Registration
- EICEU · no longer on the register · serial 24345
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE APPROACH BRIEFING, RADIOS, INSTRUMENTS, AND SPEED BUGS WERE SET UP FOR A PLANNED LANDING ON RUNWAY 17R. THE FIRST OFFICER, WHO WAS FLYING, INADVERTENTLY ALIGNED THE AIRPLANE WITH RUNWAY 17L AND THE FLIGHT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY CLEARED TO LAND ON THAT RUNWAY. AT 500 FEET AGL, THE GLIDESLOPE AURAL WARNING SOUNDED. AT 100 FEET, THE GROUND PROXIMITY WARNING SYSTEM'S SINK RATE WARNING SOUNDED, AND THE FIRST OFFICER ADDED POWER. AT 50 FEET AND OVER THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD, AIRSPEED DETERIORATED. THE FIRST OFFICER APPLIED ADDITIONAL POWER AND THE CAPTAIN ADDED MAXIMUM THRUST AND FORWARD CONTROL YOKE PRESSURE. ACCORDING TO THE CREW, 'A HARD LANDING WAS MADE.' A REVIEW OF CONTROL TOWER TAPES REVEALED THE WINDS VARIED FROM 180 TO 200 DEGREES AND 10 TO 27 KNOTS. MOMENTS BEFORE THE FLIGHT LANDED, ANOTHER LANDING AIRPLANE REPORTED A 10-KNOT LOSS OF AIRSPEED AT 100 FEET. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE PRESSURE VESSEL AND STRUCTURAL STRINGERS.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,800 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 7,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,505 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 5, 1995; 133 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,500 lb
- Seats: 169
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM-56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Markair, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MCI Kansas City MO at 2:42 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17L, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 am from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 141 |
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.