Firefighters and police gather around a United Airlines Express plane that slid off of the runway at Ottawa International Airport on June 16, 2010.Pawel Dwulit/The Canadian Press
An airplane slid off the runway as it attempted to land in heavy rain at Ottawa's Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Wednesday, sending three people to hospital.
United Express Flight 8050 from Washington, D.C., was carrying 29 passengers and 3 crew members when it skidded off the end of the runway around 2:30 p.m.
"It landed about 100 to 200 metres from the end of the runway, and 50 metres from a fence. On the other side of the fence is a road," said EMS spokesperson J.P. Trottier. "It landed quite close to the roadway."
The 48-year-old pilot appeared to have suffered pulled muscles in his neck and the 31-year-old co-pilot had scrapes and a cut to his leg. An elderly woman was the only injured passenger, and also suffered a neck injury.
All three were taken to hospital, but Mr. Trottier said their injuries were minor.
The passengers got out of the plane on their own, were checked by paramedics and shuttled to the terminal in buses and taxis, said Krista Kealey, vice-president of communications at the airport.
The landing gear on the plane collapsed, leaving the nose pointing down as the craft came to rest in a muddy, grassy area at the end of the tarmac. The bottom of the fuselage had crumpled, Mr. Trottier said.
Officials said the cause of the crash wasn't yet known.
"It appears that the plane just overshot the runway or skidded off the runway," said Marc Messier, spokesperson for Ottawa Fire Services. "We were getting some heavy rain, so that may have been a contributing factor."
He said firefighters disconnected the plane's batteries and inspected its fuel escapes, but determined there was no risk of a fire.
Mike Trevino of United Airlines said the plane, which bears United's brand, was operated by Trans States Airlines, which would be investigating the crash.
"It will likely get towed back to the gate and Trans State would conduct an investigation," he said.
He said he didn't know how badly it was damaged.
The 50-seat craft is an ERJ 145, produced by Brazilian company Embraer. It was on a regular scheduled flight.
The crash did not shut down the airport.
Adrian Morrow