Denver-Bound Plane Slides Off Slippery Runway In Spokane
SPOKANE, Wash. (CBS4) - A United Airlines plane that was departing from an airport in Washington state and headed for Denver slid off a slippery runway during its planned departure Tuesday morning.
No one was hurt, but planes were grounded at Spokane International Airport -- where the incident happened at 6 a.m. -- for part of the morning. The airport also announced they were temporarily closing during the incident.
"They went to turn and it was so slick that the plane started sliding and it slid probably 200 to 300 feet and ended up crossing the ditch where the safety lights were," a passenger said.
The plane is a 737, and crews worked to get the plane back on the runway. Passengers were taken off the plane using a stairway.
Airport continues to work with the airline to reposition the aircraft back on the hard surface. All passengers returned to terminal.
— Spokane International Airport (GEG) (@iflyspokane) January 5, 2016
United Airlines spokeswoman Karen May told CBS4 the conditions at the airport were slippery, and said that the plane was on a taxiway at the time. She said the plane's front wheels went off the runway and into the snow.
Passengers who were on the flight aren't expected to make it back to Denver until the early evening.