Spanair aircraft slides off German runway

Airline Industry Information, Oct 7, 2003

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

A Spanair aircraft reportedly slid off the runway at Germany's Munich airport today (7 October).

The MD-80 aircraft was turning off the runway and onto a taxi way after arriving at the airport from Valencia, Spain. However, it slid off the runway and came to a halt in an adjacent field. The aircraft was not damaged in the incident and none of the 61 passengers were injured.

The incident did, however, force officials to close one of the airport's two runways, causing 12 flights to be diverted to Stuttgart and Nuremberg while others were delayed by up to an hour.

Investigators will now determine whether the incident was due to a technical or steering problem or excessive speeds, according to The Associated Press.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))