No Injuries Among The 127 Passengers Aboard The MD-88

A Delta Airlines MD-88 with 127 passengers and five crew on board arriving from Atlanta skidded off the runway at LaGuardia Airport about 11 a.m. Thursday morning after landing on a snow and sleet-slicked runway.

Television station WNBC reports that passengers said they felt turbulence as the plane touched down, and it did not slow down until it impacted a perimeter fence near the water. The impact caused a minor fuel leak that was quickly stopped, according to the report.

The accident caused the Port Authority to close both of the airport's runways, and all incoming and outgoing flights were suspended. The airport reopened about 2 p.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey website.

The New York area experienced about 3 inches of snow in the hours preceding the accident, and weather forecasters said that freezing fog likely coated the runway, which was already covered by a layer of snow.

Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye said that the two airplanes that landed on Runway 13 before the Delta flight reported good braking ability, and that the runway had been plowed shortly before the incident occurred.

Delta said in a statement that the passengers were all evacuated safely and transported to the terminal.

(Image from YouTube video)

FMI: www.panynj.gov/airports/laguardia.html