United Flight Skids off Runway After Being Diverted Twice
Passengers on a United Airlines flight experienced two diversions and a landing that took them off the runway in Green Bay, Wisconsin, early Friday morning.
United Flight 878 was bound for Minneapolis (MSP) from Houston (IAH) on Thursday evening. With a scheduled departure time of 7:40 p.m., the Boeing 737-900 didn't take off until 9:33 p.m. Nearing its destination, the aircraft had to be diverted to Madison, Wisconsin (MSN) because of Minneapolis' dangerous weather conditions.
After 45 minutes on the ground in Madison, the plane took off with Minneapolis in its sights. Radar images from FlightRadar24 show the 737 making multiple passes over Minneapolis. But again, the bad weather forced the plane to divert, this time to Green Bay (GRB).
When the plane landed at 3:15 a.m., the runway was so icy that the aircraft skidded about 250 feet off the tarmac, according to Tom Miller, director of Austin Straubel International Airport. No injuries of the 180 passengers or seven crew members on board were reported.
"You couldn't feel the brakes biting at all," passenger Mike Henderson told KARE-TV. "And then all of a sudden bumpety bump, and we're now sitting off in the weeds at the end of the runway."
Passengers were offered the option of taking a bus to Minneapolis or waiting for a later flight from Green Bay. The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
