No one was injured after an American Airlines plane skidded off the runway at New York's Greater Rochester International Airport Thursday afternoon after landing and attempting to taxi to the terminal. The plane had departed Philadelphia International Airport around 4 p.m. local time and landed in Rochester when the slide occurred.
There were 50 passengers and three crew members aboard the Embraer E145 aircraft, a Monroe County spokesperson told CBS News in an email. While turning onto a runway, the jet hit the grass, the spokesman said, adding that “the cause is unclear.”
However, an American Airlines spokesperson confirmed to CBS News in a statement that the Piedmont Airlines-operated flight “exited the taxiway en route to the terminal due to snowy conditions at the airfield.”
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A passenger on the plane posted a photo on social media of the plane sitting in the grass with the accompanying caption: “My @AmericanAir plane just ran off the runway into the grass at @ROCAirport. Happy landings.”
Another video Posted by the same person showed passengers descending a metal staircase in the middle of a snowy field with the help of firefighters.
The passengers were taken to the terminal by bus, said the district spokesman. No injuries were reported.
“Safety is our top priority and we apologize to our customers for their experience,” the American Airlines spokesperson said.
Dangerous winter storms have hit the Northeast and several other parts of the U.S. in recent days. On Tuesday, airlines canceled thousands of flights, causing confusion and untold chaos for travelers.
Safety issues have plagued the aviation industry in recent weeks. On January 6, an Alaska Airlines door panel exploded mid-flight and the plane, a Boeing 737 Max 9, was forced to make an emergency landing minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded dozens of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes and forced Alaska Airlines and United Airlines to cancel hundreds of flights. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened formal investigations.
The FAA said Thursday it would investigate the runway slide.
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