14 The Courier sun • MARCH 12, 2015 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre INVESTIGATION AFTER PLANE SKIDS OFF LGA RUNWAY BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA AND LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected]/@QueensCourier Investigators are trying to determine why a Delta plane skidded off a LaGuardia Airport runway and crashed into a fence, coming to a stop just short of the water amid snowy and icy conditions. The incident involved Flight 1086 from Atlanta that landed in New York at about 11 a.m. on March 5, according to the officials. As the aircraft was landing on Runway 13, it slid, veered left and slammed into a fence on the edge of Flushing Bay. Flight crew from the plane told National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators that the runway appeared “all white” just before landing and the plane did not seem to slow down properly. The auto brakes were set to “max” but the pilots said they did not sense any “wheel brake deceleration” and the automatic spoilers, which are supposed to help slow down the plane, did not deploy properly, according to a report released by the NTSB on March 9. As a result, the captain was unable to prevent the plane from veering left and crashing into the fence. According to the report, the plane veered off Runway 13 about 3,000 feet from the approach end of the runway. About 4,100 feet from the approach end of the runway, the plane’s left wing struck the airport’s perimeter fence, and then around 5,000 feet from the approach end of the runway, the aircraft came to rest with its nose on an embankment. All 127 passengers and five crew members had to be evacuated from the plane following the March 5 accident. Twenty-three people received minor injuries and five people were taken to the hospital, officials said. One of the passengers on the plane included New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell, who was unharmed in the crash. “I’m blessed to be safe and sound after our plane skidded off the runway at LaGuardia Airport today,” Donnell said in a statement released by the team. “I feel fine physically and hopefully all the other passengers did not have any significant injuries. We were all shocked and alarmed when the plane started to skid, but most importantly, as far as I know, all of the passengers and flight crew were able to exit the plane safely.” LaGuardia was closed following the accident, with one runway re-opening by about 2 p.m. that same day and the second the following morning, reports said. Passengers were stranded at the airport due to sudden delays and cancellations. Edith Kovacs and her son were trying to get home on a 3:30 p.m. flight to Toronto. But it had been pushed back to 10:30 a.m. on March 6. The pair had no idea what to do with all their spare time and also decided to spend the night at LaGuardia. “It’s nobody’s fault, it’s because of the weather,” Kovacs said. “Maybe they should have canceled flights earlier because the plane accident could have been worse.” The incident also significantly damaged the plane, including its left wing, nose gear, main electronics bay and underside of its fuselage from the front of the aircraft all the way back to the left front passenger door, according to the report. Officials also said there was a fuel leak from the jet that was quickly brought under control. The report from the NTSB said that Flight 1086 based its decision to land on these reports of “good braking action” from air traffic control. As of press time, the NTSB was planning on interviewing the flight crew of the Delta plane that landed three minutes prior on the same runway and examining its flight data recorder. Following a preliminary reading of its flight data recorder, the NTSB was also planning on reading out Flight 1086’s quick access data recorder and having a meteorologist examine weather conditions at the time of the accident. Stranded passengers pass the time at the airport food court. Photo courtesy of FDNY
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