Two Incidents In One Day

One of the first casualties of this weekend's winter storm in the Midwest was a United flight headed to Chicago. Slick conditions apparently caused the plane to slide off the taxiway at Des Moines International Airport (DSM) in Iowa. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Workers scurried Saturday afternoon to tow a United regional jet from its resting place just off a taxiway, according to the Des Moines Register. Bags were inflated to lift the jet off the ground and the Iowa Air National Guard towed it off the taxiway.

Officials said the airport opened by mid afternoon.

United flight 7244 to Chicago was taxiing toward one of the airport's two runways at 7:40 am Saturday when the pilot made a turn onto the runway. The plane's right wheel slid on some ice and then sunk into the adjacent grass, according to Craig Smith, the airport's aviation director.

"Safety is our number one priority," said United spokesman Jeff Kovick, "and we are going to fully investigate the incident. We are working to get our customers to their destinations as safely and as quickly as possible."

Kovick offered little information about who was to blame, or when an investigation would be completed about the incident.

Shuttle buses were used to retrieve the 44 passengers on the CRJ, Smith said. Runway 13-31 was closed as the Iowa Air National Guard removed the plane from the runway.

Earlier in the morning, Northwest Flight 5603 to Minneapolis, also a regional jet, slid on its taxiway about 7 am with 40 passengers and three crew aboard. But only its nose wheel went off the taxiway, pilots were able to free it without incident.

FMI: www.dsmairport.com/, www.united.com