Main Chicago Executive Airport runway reopens after plane slides off course

The main runway at Chicago Executive Airport reopened Tuesday afternoon after a plane slid off the path earlier in the morning, officials said.

The Falcon 20 cargo plane operated by Kalitta Flying Services was unable to stop after touching down on the runway before 5 a.m., airport spokesman Rob Mark said.

No injuries were reported.

Mark said the plane struck the runway's Engineered Material Arresting System, preventing it from rolling through any barriers.

"The EMAS system did its job, and did only minor damage to the airplane," Mark said. "There were no injuries to the two pilots aboard."

He said the plane was due to pick up an organ from a donor, and was empty when it touched down.

Mark isn't sure what type of organ the flight, which originated at Willow Run Airport near Detroit, was picking up or where it was going.

The incident remains under investigation, and Mark says the exact cause likely will be released in the next week.

Airport Executive Director Jamie Abbott said he talked with Federal Aviation Administration officials, who are expected to complete a report and release their findings.

Abbott said the condition of the runways at the time of the crash was "pretty good."

The Engineered Material Arresting System that stopped the plane after it slid off the runway is made of blocks that look similar to concrete, but have a different consistency.

Abbott is expected to meet Wednesday with the system's manufacturer, who will determine a replacement schedule and cost, expected to be in the thousands, he said.

The damaged panels on the south end of the airport were about two years old. Additional panels were installed on the north end last summer.

Mark says the blocks are "very strong," but crush easily. When an aircraft strikes the blocks, they dissipate the plane's energy.

"It's like driving your car into a big puddle of honey," Mark said.