ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — An American Airlines flight 5811 carrying passengers from Philadelphia slid off the runway as it was landing at the Fredrick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.
Brian Potvin, who was returning to Rochester from a vacation in Miami says everything seemed fine until it wasn’t.
“So the plane lands like a normal landing and then we were coming around a turn and I guess the runway was icy and when we came around the turn we skidded off into the grass. I felt we were in the grass once we were in a complete stop but then the plane slightly tilted to the side. The plane never tilts to the side we kind of knew something was wrong at that point,” he said.
Potvin says the pilot asked all passengers to remain in their seat as emergency crews assessed the scene
“I didn’t panic but it was like will it tilt over more, ya know? Is everything going to be okay? And then I think everyone else stayed calm. We all were kind of calm in that moment and then it was kind of stress and frustration, when are we going to get off this plane, ya know,” he said.
He said everyone waited about an hour and a half before crews brought the passenger stairs so they could get off the plane.
Others at the airport tonight were impacted by delays and cancellations. Casey Mills said she was headed to New Orleans on a Southwest flight with a connection in Baltimore.
“Cancelled it basically because they still have the next flight going out maybe around 9 tonight but that means you have to spend the night at the Baltimore airport unfortunately and I’m just not really willing to do that at the moment, so I am rescheduled at 4:45 tomorrow hopefully,” said Mills.
According to a notice sent by American Airlines to passengers on the flight, the plane landed safely and was taxiing toward the terminal when it slid off the runway due to icy conditions.
Of the 50 passengers and three crew members on board, none reported any injuries.
American Airlines released a statement Thursday evening, saying:
“After landing safely in Rochester (ROC), American Eagle flight 5811, operated by Piedmont Airlines with service from Philadelphia (PHL) to ROC, exited the taxiway while in transit to the terminal due to snowy airfield conditions. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. Everyone on board deplaned safely and was transported to the terminal by bus.”
American Airlines said the plane would be taken out of service for a full inspection after it was towed from the taxiway.
A number of Thursday evening flights were delayed, according to the ROC airport flight tracker. The extent to which those delays were impacted by the runway incident remains unclear.