Chicago Airport: Plane slides off runway due to icy conditions

Amidst hazardous weather conditions at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on the morning of November 11, an airplane slid off the runway. No passengers were reportedly hurt during the incident. An American Airline spokesperson in a statement said American Eagle Flight 4125, which is operated by Envoy Air slid off the runway due to extreme weather conditions at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

What Happened at Chisago?

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Tony Molinaro, the spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) stated, due to the icy conditions, the right main landing gear collapsed. He also added that an internal FAA investigation is underway.

According to the video, that went viral, the plane can be seen skidding on the icy ground and its right wing scrapping the snow-covered ground.
After coming to a stop, the uninjured passengers were removed from the plane which originated from Greensboro, North Carolina and were taken via a bus to an airport gate. Karen Pride who is the director of media relations for the Chicago Department of Aviation further added that the incident had only a moderate impact on the overall flight operations of the airport.
According to passenger Shaun Steele, the plane was actually on its second landing attempt when the narrow incident occurred. The first attempt was aborted after noticing the bad weather conditions. This account is confirmed by Flight Aware Data of Flight 4125.

Flying in rough weather is always risky

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An aviation expert was recorded saying that in very inclement weather with slick taxiways, the chances of a plane sliding off the paved surfaces increases and that while it may be safe to operate aircraft based on previous flight data, flight crews may experience slicker conditions due to the changing weather.

"While ground crews work tirelessly and do a wonderful job of clearing snow with the help of snowploughs and de-icing equipment, there are always limits to what they can do", the expert added,