United plane skids on runway at O'Hare
The FAA is investigating the circumstances that caused a United Airlines Boeing 737-900 from Seattle with 170 aboard to skid on a snowy runway at O'Hare International Airport Wednesday morning.
No one was injured when Flight 1977 slid from the end of Runway 27-Right into an overrun area at 7:55 a.m., but the rare occurrence damaged airfield lights and delayed passengers, authorities said.
The aircraft landed safely at O'Hare and was decelerating, but because of runway conditions, the pilot couldn't turn onto the taxiway, United Airlines officials said. Instead, the 737 came to a stop on a paved area.
"We only operate flights when it's safe to do so," United spokesman Charles Hobart said. "Our pilots are well-trained and know how to handle these situations no matter how rare."
The 737 was towed to the gate and passengers deplaned at 9:30 a.m. Hobart said it did not appear travelers knew there was a problem until the pilot made an announcement.
There was snow on Runway 27-Right, located at the far north end of O'Hare, when the skid occurred, Chicago Department of Aviation officials said.
"The CDA had crews out performing regular snow removal operations, as it always does during winter weather conditions to ensure the safety of aircraft operations," spokesman Owen Kilmer said. The National Weather Service estimates about 1 inch of snow had accumulated at O'Hare.
Weather-related issues caused delays averaging 30 minutes at O'Hare and airlines canceled more than 70 flights, the CDA said Wednesday morning.
At Midway International Airport, 10 flights were canceled and delays averaged 30 minutes.
About 4.6 million people are expected to travel through O'Hare and Midway during the holiday season between Dec. 19 and Tuesday.
United was assisting Flight 1977 passengers who missed connections, the airline said. "Obviously there was a delay and we do apologize for that," Hobart said.
Daily Herald staff reporters Justin Kmitch and Travis Siebrass contributed to this report.