A plane skidded off the runway at an Upstate New York airport on Thursday.
WROC reports an American Airlines-owned airplane slid off the taxiway due to snowy and icy conditions at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester Airport. The aircraft was taxiing towards the terminal after landing safely from Philadelphia Thursday afternoon.
No injuries were reported on board the flight, which had 50 passengers and 3 crew members.
“I could feel a little bit of a slide, and I’m thinking ‘Maybe that’s just the brakes.’ Well no — that was the wheels sliding off the runway into the grass,” passenger Mike Trickey told WHAM. “It was very rocky and jolty for probably maybe a second or two before we came to a full stop.”
Trickey told the Rochester TV station that passengers were stuck on the plane for roughly an hour as stairs were assembled to help platform passengers.
“After landing safely in Rochester (ROC), American Eagle flight 5811, operated by Piedmont Airlines with service from Philadelphia (PHL) to ROC, exited the taxiway while in transit to the terminal due to snowy airfield conditions,” American Airlines said in a statement. “Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. Everyone on board deplaned safely and was transported to the terminal by bus.”
The plane was towed from the taxiway and will undergo a full safety inspection, officials said. The plane will be taken out of service for the time being, according to American Airlines.