A severe snowstorm sweeping across the Midwest of the United States has led to the cancellation of thousands of flights and triggered multiple traffic accidents during the post-Thanksgiving travel peak. Fortunately, no injuries were reported when a Delta Air Lines flight skidded off the runway due to icy conditions while landing on Saturday, November 29.
According to Sarah Hoodjer, communication manager of Des Moines International Airport, the Delta flight was carrying 54 passengers and 4 crew members.
Hoodjer mentioned that the National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident.
Delta Air Lines, in a statement, revealed that the accident occurred around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday and was operated by its subsidiary Endeavor Air.
Flight 5087 was en route from Detroit, Michigan to Des Moines, Iowa and encountered no issues during the journey until landing at Des Moines International Airport where it skidded off the runway.
The Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft “slid off the paved surface due to icy taxiway conditions during landing,” as stated by Delta Air Lines. Thankfully, no one was injured, and passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft and transported to the terminal by bus.
“Safety is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers,” Delta Air Lines expressed in their statement.
The winter storm that swept through the central and western United States over the past weekend resulted in a significant number of flight cancellations, with over a thousand flights being affected at Chicago airports alone.
The winter storm continues to affect the United States. Meteorologist Richard Otto from the U.S. Weather Forecast Center stated on Monday, December 1 that the storm is bringing a mix of weather to the central and southern regions of the country, while New England is expected to see heavy snowfall, and rain mixing with snow in New York and the Washington, D.C. area.
He anticipates that the heaviest snowfall will occur in northern New York and parts of Massachusetts, extending to Maine, where snowfall amounts could reach up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) from Monday night through early Tuesday, December 2.