Los Angeles  - Investigators on Monday began measuring the trail of a passenger plane carrying more than 100 people that skidded off the runway and caught fire in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday evening, the Denver Post reported.

Dozens of people were injured in the accident that occurred before take-off. with 38 people taken to hospital. All but five were released on Sunday, said Robert Sumwalt, a National Transportation Safety Board member leading the investigation team.

Teams recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder on Sunday and both appeared to be in good condition, Sumwalt said. They were sent to Washington to be reviewed.

Investigators were expected to focus their inquiries on a possible malfunction of the braking system on the Boeing 737 operated by Continental Airlines. The plane was carrying 107 passengers and five crew members headed to Houston.

Aerial photos showed that after the pilots aborted the take-off, the plane skidded over 1,500 meters off the runway, crossing a field and a service road before coming to rest in a ditch with its left engine severed from its wing.

Witnesses also said that flames immediately shot out of the right side of the plane, which had been ripped open.

A police spokesman said extinguishing the blaze was "a heck of a fight."

Weather conditions were clear at the time of the crash, though a thin layer of snow blanketed the airport. (dpa)