Southwest B-738 off the end at Omaha
Another weather related runway overrun. No injuries (or EMAS damage) on the 9500 foot runway 14R.
Omaha-bound plane slides off end of icy runway at Eppley; airport reopens
By Reece Ristau and Bob Glissmann / World-Herald staff writers
Jan 18, 2019 Updated 1 hr agoA Southwest Airlines plane slid off the end of an icy runway after landing at Eppley Airfield on Friday afternoon.
The plane, Flight 1643 from Las Vegas, went off the end of Runway 14R. "There are no injuries and airport fire crews are working with Southwest to deplane the passengers and take them to the terminal," Eppley officials said on Twitter.
The airport was closed for about 2 1/2 hours after the incident, reopening at about 4:40 p.m.
Benny Salz, 30, a passenger, said that after the plane touched down, it felt like the aircraft moved in an S-shape before straightening out.
“Then all of a sudden it kind of felt like it hit a black ice patch, and then it went sideways,” said Salz, a producer in Los Angeles who was back in his hometown of Omaha for a visit.
Steve McCoy, manager of airport affairs for the Omaha Airport Authority, said the plane “landed safely” at 2:02 p.m., then slid off the end of the runway.
McCoy said 150 passengers and six crew members were on board.
The airport had been closed as crews worked to get the aircraft that ran off the runway out of the turf, McCoy said. The airport's other runway was being treated to address the freezing rain and will be assessed before it reopens, he said.
“Airport crews have been working on the airfield since the beginning of this winter event, treating runways appropriately for aircraft operations,” McCoy said.A small number of flights were diverted and canceled Friday afternoon, but McCoy said the exact number wasn't immediately available.Omaha firefighters and police assisted airport firefighters and police in dealing with the Southwest flight and its passengers and crew, he said.People were encouraged to check with their airlines for the status of their flights.
Southwest Airlines said on Twitter that the plane landed safely and "slid onto a runway overrun area while taxiing."
Sarah Smith was traveling Friday with her husband, Andy Lee, and their three small children from Alamo, California, for a niece’s birthday party. Like many passengers, she said Friday's ordeal was mostly calm. “You could just tell you were sliding a little bit and then a little bumpy near the end.”
Philip Baris, 57, was coming from Los Angeles for a family friend’s wedding. He had a window seat and knew the landing didn’t go right when he saw ice.
“We came to somewhat of an uneven stop," he said. Baris said the plane wasn’t traveling very fast when the slide occurred. “Everybody was cool. Crew was cool.”