The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Airport reopens after crash
LAGUARDIA AIRPORT in New York has reopened after a plane’s landing gear collapsed, sending it skidding along the tarmac and causing operations to be suspended.
The incident happened as Southwest Airlines Flight 345 touched down on the runway, officials said.
Paramedics treated 10 passengers at the scene, with six being taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The six crew members were taken to another hospital for observation.
Acting director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Thomas Bosco said the incident forced the temporary closure of the airport, with one runway coming back into service at about 7pm local time on Monday night.
Dallas-based Southwest said 150 people were on the domestic flight from Nashville, Tennessee, while the Port Authority said the total was 149.
Mr Bosco said the nose gear of the plane collapsed when it landed at 5.40pm and “the aircraft skidded down the runway on its nose and then veered off and came to rest in the grass area”.
He said there was no advance warning of any possible problem before the landing.
A passenger, Sergeant 1st Class Anniebell Hanna, 43, of the South Carolina National Guard, said the flight had been delayed leaving Nashville.
Passengers had heard an announcement saying “something was wrong with a tyre”, she said, waiting in a room at LaGuardia several hours after the incident.
At LaGuardia “when we got ready to land, we nosedived”, she said.
“I hit my head against the seat in front of me,” she said. “I hit hard.”
Emergency crews were seen spraying foam towards the front end of the plane on the tarmac.
The Port Authority said the passengers exited the plane using chutes.
Sgt Hanna said she was among the first to get off the plane, and could smell something burning when she got down to the tarmac. The passengers were put on a bus and taken to the terminal, where they were told to make lists of their possessions on the plane in order to get them back.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, as is the National Transportation Safety Board.