10 Most Terrifying Runway Close Calls
The recent accident involving a plane from Atlanta skidding off a runway at LaGuardia Airport while landing Thursday, March 5, isn’t the first time such an incident occurred. Despite safety measures taken by airlines and crews, there have been several such cases of planes skidding off runways, all of which produced aftermaths of varying degrees. Here are some of the scariest incidents in recent history.
Related: Plane Skids Off Runway and Crashes at NYC Airport
Japan Air System: Hanamaki, 1993
A Japan Air Systems flight traveling to the Morioka-Hanamaki Airport Hanamaki on April 18, 1993 skidded off the runway after the plane had trouble landing during heavy winds. All on board survived the crash.
Cubano Airlines: Guatemala City, 1999
A Cuban airlines DC-10 lies in a working class neighborhood of Guatemala City after it crashed, killing at least 26 people, including nine on the ground. (Photo: AP Photo/Jaime Puebla)
A Cubano Airlines flight bound for Guatemala City on December 21, 1999, skidded off the runway and into houses located just beyond it. According to reports, the pilot miscalculated the runway. Twenty-six people were killed in the crash, and a total of 44 were injured.
Southwest Airlines: Chicago, 2005
A Southwest Airlines jet sits on a roadway after it crashed through a security wall at Midway Airport in Chicago. (Photo: Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
During a heavy snowstorm in December 2005, a Southwest Airlines flight from Baltimore landing at Chicago’s Midway airport skidded off the runway, broke through the boundary fence, and slid into the nearby street, killing a 6-year-old boy. Of the five crew and 98 passengers onboard, 10 were injured.
Related: Plane Skids Off Runway and Crashes at NYC Airport
TACA Airlines, Honduras: 2008
Rescue workers attend the scene where a passenger plane skidded off a runway at Tegucigalpa airport in Honduras. (Photo: REUTERS / Edgard Garrido / Landov)
A TACA Airlines flight en route from San Salvador in El Salvador skidded off a rain-slicked runway at Tegucigalpa airport in Honduras on May 30, 2008. The plane slid out onto a road, crashing into cars and buildings. There were 135 passengers and crew on board. Five people were killed, and 38 were injured.
Air France: Montreal, 2008
On August 26, 2008, an Air France jumbo plane carrying 490 passengers and 18 crew arriving from Paris overshot the runway and skidded off. The plane’s nose landing in the grass. No one was injured in the accident, and passengers were safely escorted back to the airport.
Dagestan Airlines: Moscow, 2010
Investigators examine the wreckage of a Dagestan Airlines passenger jet that skidded off the runway at Moscow Domodedovo airport. (Photo: AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
On December 4, 2010, a Dagestan Airlines flight carrying 155 people skidded off the runway after an emergency landing at Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport when the plane’s three engines failed. Two people were killed, and 48 were injured.
Related: Fasten Your Seatbelt! Get Ready for a White-Knuckle Ride at America’s Most Terrifying Airports
Lion Air: Indonesia, 2013
A Lion Air plane is seen in the water after it missed the runway in Denpasar, Bali. (Photo: Stringer/Indonesia/Reuters/Landov)
In 2013, Indonesian carrier Lion Air en route to Bali’s Denpasar airport landed in the sea after the plane missed the airport’s runway. According to reports, of the 101 passengers and seven crew on board, 40 people were treated for injuries including broken legs, head wounds, and shock, but no deaths came from the incident.
American Eagle: Chicago, 2013
The front nose gear of an American Eagle flight from New Orleans to Chicago O’Hare International Airport skidded off the runway and into the grass in November 2013. The plane landed safely, and the incident occurred as the aircraft made its way to the gate. There were 38 passengers on board, and no one was injured in the accident.
Related: Thank You for Not Screaming: the Most Terrifying Airport Runways Around the World
AirAsia: Kalibo, Philippines, 2014
An AirAsia plane at the Kalibo International Airport after it overshot the runway. (Photo: Stringer/Xinhua Press/Corbis)
On December 30, 2014, an AirAsia flight carrying 159 passengers from Manilla to Kalibo, in the Philippines, overshot the runway and skidded into a muddy field. AirAsia staff attributed the incident to strong winds.
Turkish Airlines: Nepal, 2015
Rescue officials and members of the Nepalese army try to remove a Turkish Airlines plane from a runway extension at Tribhuvan international Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo: EPA/Narendra Shrestha/Landov)
Just this week on Wednesday, March 4, a Turkish Airlines jet with 224 passengers on board skidded off the runway at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. The crew tried to land the plane two separate times, the first time turning back due to poor visibility. Forty-five minutes later the crew was able to land the plane, and it skidded off the runway.
Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad.
