No passengers were injured as a plane slid into the grass after a landing in icy conditions at BWI.
Early Thursday morning at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Spirit Airlines Flight 696 from Las Vegas landed safely. The plane, which carried 111 passengers, began taxiing to its gate at BWI when the wheels of its landing gear began to skid. The taxiway, like a lot of Baltimore recently, was frosted over and slick after the first major snowfall of the year.
“After safely landing and entering the taxiway this morning, the nose wheel of Spirit Airlines flight 696 slowly slid onto the grass while turning a corner and taxiing to the gate,” wrote Field Sutton, spokesman for Spirit Airlines.
Courtesy of @LindsayMastis on Twitter
The BWI Marshall Airport Fire and Rescue Department came to the rescue. All 111 passengers, which had just flown 4 hours overnight from Las Vegas, were safe with no injuries and were transported to the terminal by bus. After the incident on the taxiway at 6:18 am, all passengers and their baggage were transported to the airport terminal by 8:35 a.m.
Following the incident, BWI tweeted out an assurance of safety even in winter storm conditions, affirming that "crews remain on standby to maintain safe operations this evening and in the morning."
Please check with your airline for updates to flight status prior to departing for the airport this evening or Thursday morning.
— BWI Marshall Airport (@BWI_Airport) December 17, 2020
If you are waiting for an arriving passenger, please do so in our Cell Phone Lot. https://t.co/ISlLDYMvVa #MDOTsafety
While this accident probably isn't cause for any worry for your next flight, it's easy to imagine the inconvenience of waiting for buses after a little impromptu-offroading.
What would be your reaction in this circumstance? Hope for a meal voucher for breakfast? Leave a comment!