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Denver Crash a Mystery Again

Rattling noise heard just before plane veered off runway and passengers panicked

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 23, 2008 3:38 AM CST

(Newser) – Indications that a problem with the landing gear, brakes or tires caused a plane to skid off the runway in Denver have proved not to be true, CNN reports. Voice and data recorders reveal bumping and rattling sounds moments before the crash, investigators now say. The plane's captain is recovering from his injuries and is not yet able to be interviewed.

New details emerged, meanwhile, about the chaotic, "incredibly violent" scene after the crash as some passengers scrambled to get luggage and others were in a panic to flee a plane they thought was about to explode. Thirty-eight people were injured, suffering bruises and broken bones as they fled.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

The charred right side of the wreckage of a Continental Airlines plane sits in a ravine in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, pool)

The wreckage of a Continental Airlines jet sits in a ravine in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Pieces of landing gear lie near a service road along the path followed by a Continental Airlines jetliner in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, pool)

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The NTSB says there is 'good data' on the cockpit flight recorders taken from a jet that skidded off a runway in Denver. (CNN Video)

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Denver Crash a Mystery Again