Forced Closure Of The Airport For About Three Hours Tuesday Morning

Icy conditions at Spokane (WA) International Airport Tuesday morning caused a United Airlines 737 to skid off a taxiway, resulting in the closure of the airport for about three hours.

The CDA Press reports that airport CEO Larry Krauter said that there were 166 passengers aboard the airplane that was preparing to depart for Denver. No one was injured in the incident, and the passengers were deplaned shortly after the plane slid off the pavement.

Krauter said that the plane had been briefly delayed while crews attempted to improve traction on the pavement at the airport due to the freezing rain, and the flight had been directed to a holding area alongside the taxiway. That holding bay has a slight grade to allow water to drain away from the airfield.

But Krauter said that the slight grade along with the momentum of the heavily-loaded airplane was enough to send it sliding over the edge of the pavement.

The incident occurred just before 0600 local time Krauter said, and the airport was reopened before 0900. But by then, many flights had been delayed, and passengers has missed connections to other cities.

(Image from video uploaded to YouTube)

FMI: http://spokaneairports.net/