Jet Slides Off Jackson Hole Runway
An American Airlines flight landing at Jackson Hole airport slid off the runway on Wednesday morning.
The 757 aircraft had 171 passengers and 10 crew members on board. American Airlines spokesperson Ed Martelle said there are no injuries and no visible signs of damage on the plane. Jackson Hole Airport Director Ray Bishop said at the time of landing there was light snow and 1.5 mile visibility at the airport.
Bishop said the plane went 658 feet off the runway and landed in a big pile of heavy snow. The passengers and crew have been evacuated from the plane and are in the airport terminal. Crews are attaching straps to the plane and plan to use a dozer to pull it back onto the runway, Bishop said.
Weather criteria were well above the minimum necessary for a safe landing, Bishop said.
Flight 2253 was flying into Jackson from Chicago.
It took crews two hours to get the plane back onto the runway. Flights that were headed to Jackson have been diverted to other airports. At least one flight to the airport was canceled on Wednesday, airport officials said.
Local News 8 has a reporter in Jackson working on the story. Stay with Local News 8 online and on air for the latest.
