LaGuardia Airport Shut Down For a While After Delta Plane Skids Off Runway, Crashes Through a Fence

By Staff Reporter - 05 Mar '15 18:24PM
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A Delta Airlines flight landing at LaGuardia Airport from Atlanta skidded off a snowy runway Thursday, crashed through a fence and stopped just before hitting the icy Flushing Bay, but there were no serious injuries according to reports.

Delta flight 1086 was landing at LaGuardia after a morning flight from Atlanta when the plane failed to stop on the slippery landing strip. All 127 passengers and five crew members aboard were evacuated safely from the aircraft and moved to the airport terminal on buses, officials said.

The incident highlighted the risks in trying to touch down on slick runways in winter-storm conditions.

One passenger, Malcolm Duckett, said he knew as soon as the plane touched down that something was wrong.

"When I looked out the window, the left wing was gliding across the fence that was holding the water back and it was just going down," he told ABC News.

Port Authority said three people suffered minor injuries - one person with a neck injury and two with back injuries, Officials were also evaluating five pregnant women. All of the passengers were taken by bus to a nearby Delta terminal, according to USA Today.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced LaGuardia is closed until 7 p.m. following the incident, The Wall Street Journal reported. There was snow on the ground at LaGuardia, where airlines had already canceled more than 300 departing flights.

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