TWELVE passengers have been injured after an Alaska Airlines flight missed the end of the runway.
Two people have been critically injured while ten received medical attention after the plane overshot the runway at the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
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Flight 3296 – a Saab 2000 turboprop operated by PenAir – was travelling from Anchorage with 42 people on board when it crash landed.
The propeller blades of one of the engines broke off, puncturing the fuselage of the plane, which came to rest on a rocky surface at the edge of a bay in the Bering Sea, according to Aviation-Safety.net.
An eyewitness said the flight landed about 500 feet beyond the Dutch Harbour airport, near the water.
Among the 39 passengers were members of the swim team at the high school in Cordova, who were going to a meet, the news outlet reported. None of them were hurt in the incident.
Some passengers were removed from the airport in an ambulance, but others left with the assistance of residents, including families who planned to host the visiting swimmers.
The plane appeared to have been affected by high winds, freelance photographer Jim Paulin said.
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A statement posted by schools Superintendent Alex Russin said: “At present, all students and chaperones are accounted for and are OK, albeit a bit shaken up.”
The statement added that “the team was together, seemed fine, and were eating pizza”.
City Manager Erin Reinders, who was at the airport, said the plane made one landing attempt, before trying for a second.
She explained to KUCB: “It did land, so all the wheels were on the ground. And then it wasn’t stopping.”
In a subsequent message, Alex expressed the district’s “deep appreciation” to its Unalaska counterpart and to community members and agencies “who have made our students and chaperones as comfortable as possible through their generosity, kind words, clothing, food, and support”.
PenAir said it’s cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and has established a family assistance line.
PenAir CEO Dave Pflieger said in a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of our passengers and crew, and the family members of everyone with loved ones on this flight.”
Last month, an Alaska Airlines employee sparked panic after yelling “evacuate” at Newark Airport.
A flight in February was diverted after a strange smell filled the Alaska Airlines cabin.
Sun Online Travel contacted Alaska Airlines for comment.
This article was originally published by New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.
