Passengers arriving at Maine's largest airport on Monday afternoon found themselves in a snowy situation. An American Airlines flight from Philadelphia slid off the taxiway into the snow upon arrival, resulting in the passengers and crew being extricated by bus to the terminal.
The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, was carrying 59 passengers and four crew members, all of whom remained unharmed in the incident. The American Airlines Flight 5280, operated by regional PSA Airlines, took off from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) at 10:47, arriving at Portland International Jetport (PWM) at 12:08 on Monday afternoon.
The aircraft landed successfully on the primary runway and proceeded to taxi to the terminal. As the plane made its way down the taxiway, the nose of the aircraft slid off the runway into the snow while the main landing gear remained firmly on the taxiway. Portland International Jetport Director Paul Bradbury confirmed to Simple Flying that the incident caused the airport's primary runway to be temporarily closed:
"As it came down, it landed with reasonably good breaking action, and then went to turn on taxiway alpha. And while taxiing on alpha, the nose gear slipped just off the pavement.
"Since the aircraft was within the runway safety area of the Jetport's primary runway 11/29 the runway had to remain closed until the aircraft was moved. Thankfully, all our terminator flights were able to get in yesterday which allowed full resumption of all operations this morning. "
A snowy situation
The American Eagle aircraft remained lodged in the snowbank while the passengers were bussed to the terminal. The runway was closed for several hours for safety reasons until airport staff removed the plane from the taxiway. The aircraft in question was immediately taken out of service and is undergoing a full inspection by the airline's maintenance team before returning to service. Officials at the airport confirmed that the runway was back to fully operational status by 18:30 on Monday.
The incident, in conjunction with an ongoing snowstorm, continued to affect flights throughout Monday. A total of 24 flights from the airport were delayed between the runway closure and inclement weather. A further 18 flights to and from the airport were canceled on Monday. When approached by local media, passengers aboard the American Eagle flight generally seemed optimistic and relieved the incident did not result in any injuries. Rick Huard, a passenger on flight 5280, elaborated on his experience in the incident:
"We came out of the clouds nice and smooth, smooth landing, then we're turning left to come back to the terminal and just fishtailed out."
Snowy conditions to continue
The storm, which began Sunday night, included gusts of wind up to 64 mph at the Portland International Jetport, according to the National Weather Service in Gray. Snowfall on Monday afternoon fell at the rate of an inch per hour, leading to poor visibility across the region.
Conditions are not expected to improve in the near future for the Maine airport. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for much of the state that was in effect until 10 p.m. Monday, and another storm is on the horizon. A powerful winter storm will cross the southern US today and shift into the Northeastern US by Wednesday night.
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The weather service predicts heavy mixed precipitation with snow accumulating between 6 and 10 inches, ice buildup, and wind gusts as high as 40 mph. The storm warnings cover parts of central, southwest, and western Maine, alongside portions of northern New Hampshire from 19:00 Wednesday to 15:00 EST Thursday.
Source: News Center Maine, National Weather Service, FlightAware