Plane skids off runway at O'Hare; no injuries

No injuries were reported after an American Airlines plane bound for Washington, D.C. skidded off an O'Hare runway at about 7:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

The plane had not yet attempted takeoff when the mishap occurred. It was "taxiing into position and had just made a turn on the runway when it slid onto an unpaved area," said Chicago Department of Aviation spokesman Gregg Cunningham.

After the skid, the plane's 59 passengers and five crew members were taken by bus back to the terminal, he said.

No one was transported to the hospital, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

Cunningham is not sure if the accident was weather-related.

After the accident, the runway was shut down indefinitely, just as flights were getting back on schedule following weather-related delays.

Despite the runway closure, delays at O'Hare were reported being only about 15 minutes at about 8 p.m., Cunningham said.