JET SKIDS OFF CHICAGO RUNWAY, KILLS 1

[Jim Phaserman 0]

Jetliner Slides Off Runway at Chicago's Midway Airport

Thursday, December 08, 2005

 

CHICAGO — A Southwest Airlines flight from Baltimore to Chicago slid off a runway at Midway International Airport and onto a nearby street as it attempted to land amid heavy snow and wind, authorities said Thursday.

 

Two passengers on the Boeing 737 suffered minor injuries, and as many as seven people on the ground were hurt, Aviation Department spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said. Ninety-eight passengers were on board and have since been evacuated.

 

Nearby Holy Cross Hospital took in four patients into its emergency room, hospital officials told FOX News.

 

At least two vehicles were damaged, and one was pinned under the wing, Chicago Fire Department spokesmen said. There were no known injuries in the second vehicle.

 

The accident happened about 7:15 p.m. when Southwest Flight 1248 inbound from Baltimore slid off the runway, skidded through the airport's boundary fence and crashed into a lamp post on 55th Street and Central Avenue, approximately 100 feet south of the airport, Fire Department Officials told FOX News.

 

The plane came to a stop on Central Avenue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's regional office in Chicago. The flight was scheduled to continue on to Las Vegas.

 

The airplane's nose was crushed, a wing was damaged, the engine severly damaged, and a front window was out, Chicago Fire Department officials told FOX.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, the FAA said.

 

"It got really bumpy, and then a big crashing sound," passenger Katie Duda told WMAQ-TV. The next thing she knew, the airplane was past the airport and on the street, Duda said.

 

Passengers used inflatable slides to exit the plane, she said.

 

"Everyone was very calm. Everyone around me seemed very OK. ... There was no chaos," Duda said.

 

Midway reported 7 inches of snow Thursday, but Abrams said runway conditions at the time were acceptable.

 

The airport is closely bordered by streets lined with homes and businesses on Chicago's southwest side. It the smallest of the Chicago area's major airports and serves more than 17 million travelers a year.

 

Update: a 9 year old boy was killed in the car that was crushed. The FAA is still looking into the accident.

[Jack_Bauer 1]

From what I've heard, the boy was 6. Very sad.

 

Midway really seems to have a bizarre set up, its so close to nearby roads and homes that there is really no margin for error, as this case sadly demonstrates.

[Jim Phaserman 0]

I think he was 6, Jack. Lindberg in San Diego is very similar. In fact, you cannot land anything larger than a 757 at Lindberg, because the larger aircraft cannot make the proper descent needed to hit the runway (There is a very tall building right in the flight path there requiring an aircraft to come in on a higher-than-normal slope, then drop quickly to hit the runway)

[trekz 7]

As awful as the loss of one life is, this could have been much, much worse. It's been snowing in the Chicago area since about 2 PM or so. Apparently there was a fuel leak after the crash, but there was no fire. I have to believe that the weather was a partial factor, as the snow has been coming down an inch every half hour at some points this afternoon. A couple of my friends were at the airport, scheduled to fly out at 7:30 PM, but of course they did not get out. They're scheduled to go tomorrow afternoon. This is, I believe, the anniversay of a crash at Midway where 45 people died. A very sad day, but again, it could have ended much more sadly.

[Odie 0]

From what I've heard, the boy was 6. Very sad.

 

Midway really seems to have a bizarre set up, its so close to nearby roads and homes that there is really no margin for error, as this case sadly demonstrates.

 

When the airport was set up there was no roads and homes that where too close to the field.