A plane slid off the icy runway while landing at an Iowa airport over the weekend, forcing numerous cancellations and diversions.
Endeavor Air Flight 5087, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, slid off the end of the runway while turning onto a taxiway at Des Moines International during inclement weather conditions.
The incident happened at 9.30pm local time on Saturday, 29 November, after the flight came into land following an hour and a half journey from Detroit.
Instead of exiting the plane at a gate as normal, the 54 passengers had to deplane via stairs and were bussed to the terminal.
The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-900, “left the paved surface of the taxiway due to icy conditions upon landing,” an airport spokesperson said in a statement to ABC7.
The airport confirmed on social media that a plane had “departed the runway” and caused the airport to close.
Dozens of flights due to arrive and depart the airport after this were cancelled, diverted to nearby airports, or were severely delayed, with some arriving over half a day later than expected, data from FlightRadar shows.
It was later confirmed at mid-morning Sunday, 30 November, that the airport had reopened and operations had resumed.
In a statement to the outlet, the airline said: “Delta teams at Des Moines International Airport are working to ensure our customers are taken care of after Delta Connection flight 5087 operated by Endeavor Air left the paved surface of the taxiway due to icy conditions upon landing.
“Safety comes before all else and we apologise to our customers for the experience.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both investigating the incident.
Winter weather hit Iowa over the weekend as families were wrapping up their Thanksgiving celebrations.
The National Weather Service reported that snowy and windy conditions had also caused several crashes on major roads in Iowa, with most roads still covered in snow or ice by Sunday morning.
Winter storm warnings were issued to travellers ahead of the weekend, stretching from Montana to New York, with snow particularly impacting the Great Lakes region.
Over 1,400 flight cancellations were reported across major airports in the US over the weekend, while delays were rife for many domestic flights, disrupting travel plans.
The Independent has contacted Delta Air Lines for further comment.
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