Plane Slides off Taxiway Into Snowbank at Fort Wayne International Airport
An aircraft operating a regional flight out of Indiana's Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA) slid on ice while taxiing for takeoff and came to a stop in a snow bank Tuesday night.
Passengers on SkyWest flight 3526, which was operating as Delta Connection to Atlanta, had to deplane the Bombardier CRJ-200ER and were transferred to the terminal. There were reportedly no injuries after the incident.
In an email to TPG, a spokesperson for SkyWest said the plane "encountered ice on slow taxi for departure and came to a stop in a snow bank on the taxiway. Passengers deplaned through the main cabin door and were safely transported to the terminal via bus. The flight later continued to Atlanta on a different aircraft."
Officials at the Fort Wayne Airport told USA Today that rain had diluted the chemical used for de-icing the runway.
Airports across the Midwest have been grappling with harsh winter weather conditions throughout January. On Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) was shut down for about 14 hours due to winter weather and a similar issue of rain diluting the runway de-icing chemicals, causing slippery conditions. Omaha's Eppley Airfield (OMA) was closed last week after a Southwest flight slid off the runway as winter storm Harper slammed into the region.
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