Mon, Dec 03, 2007
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.
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