No Injuries As Main Gear Leaves Pavement And Digs In

An Allegiant Airlines MD80 got stuck in the dirt at Central Nebraska Regional Airport (KGRI) after landing Sunday afternoon. No injuries were reported from the jet carrying about 160 passengers.  

The newspaper The Independent reports that Airport Executive Director Mike Olson said the plane had landed safely from its flight from Phoenix, then turned onto a taxiway. As the plane turned again to access to the taxiway that leads to the passenger terminal, the pilot turned too sharply. “The right main landing gear went off into the grass and just sunk. Olson said. “It’s the landing gear underneath the right wing.”

Hoping to avoid previous incidents that have left passengers stranded on aircraft for hours, FBO Trego-Dugan Aviation, which staffs the Grand Island Allegiant ticket window, immediately dispatched staff and vehicles to the incapacitated plane to get passengers off. A bus service was called in to carry the passengers from the plane back to the terminal. “It was 90 degrees — we didn’t want them on the plane,” Olson said.

A wrecker called in took over four hours to free the plane from the taxiway. Mechanics were on hand to inspect the plane for damage before being returned to service. No visible damage was found according to Olson. The aircraft was visible to vehicle traffic on Sky Park Road, and several vehicles had stopped to watch the ordeal.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov