What happened
During departure from Denver-Stapleton Airport, an aircraft departed from runway 35L amidst unfavorable weather conditions. While several thunderstorms and rain showers were present near the northern part of the airfield, no active storms were directly over the airport at the time of takeoff. Shortly after ascending to an altitude of 100 feet, the aircraft experienced a rapid reduction in indicated airspeed of approximately 41 knots within a five-second window.
Roughly 11.6 seconds after this loss of airspeed began, the aircraft struck the ground. The initial impact occurred 387 feet south of the runway 35L departure end and 106 feet to the right of the centerline. Following this first contact, the aircraft moved northward, striking the ground a second time approximately 135 feet further north. The wreckage eventually came to rest about 1,600 feet north of the runway end and 160 feet to the right of the extended centerline. All 131 occupants were successfully evacuated from the aircraft, with 15 injuries reported.
Findings
Investigation into the accident determined that the primary cause was an encounter with severe windshear immediately following takeoff. This meteorological event, produced by thunderstorm outflow along the departure path, caused a loss of airspeed and altitude that could not be recovered. Despite the crew operating the aircraft at or near its maximum lift capacity, the rate of descent caused by the windshear prevented the maintenance of level flight.