Plane skids off snowy runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport, stops just feet from icy bay

NEW YORK — A Delta jetliner landing at LaGuardia Airport in a driving snowstorm Thursday skidded off a runway and crashed through a chain-link fence, its nose coming to rest just feet from the roiling waters of an icy bay.

Six people were hurt in the midday accident, which authorities say came just minutes after the runway had been plowed. It was a near-tragic reminder of what pilots have long known about LaGuardia: Its relatively short runways and waterfront location leave little room for error, especially in bad weather.

Passengers said the plane landed hard and then took a sharp turn toward the fence on the edge of the runway.

"It felt like fishtailing in a car," Charles Runel said. "But in a much larger car."

Some tweeted photos of the crashing waves just outside the plane's windows.

"I'm just thankful we didn't go into the water," said Malcolm Duckett, one of 130 people aboard Flight 1086 from Atlanta, which stopped atop a berm on the edge of Flushing Bay.

The plane's wings appeared to be damaged in the crash landing, which authorities said also caused a leak of fuel that was quickly stopped.

The runway had been plowed minutes before, and two other pilots had reported good braking conditions, said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport. It appeared the pilot did everything he could to slow the aircraft, he said.

"The plane did not make contact with the water," Foye said. "Happily, that was not a risk today."

LaGuardia, known for its disconcertingly close proximity to the bay, is one of the nation's most congested airports. It's also one of the most difficult at which to land: Its close proximity to three other busy airports means pilots have to make a series of tight turns to line up with its runways while also going through their landing checklists.

The Delta flight was landing on LaGuardia's main runway, which is about 7,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. On the right side of the runway are a taxiway and terminals. On the left, where the plane ended up, are the berm and the bay.

LaGuardia's two runways are "reasonably short" but still safe, said former US Airways pilot John M. Cox, who's now CEO of consultancy Safety Operating Systems.

There's no rule about how much snow or ice leads to a runway closing. Instead, the Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to measure runways during winter storms to assure planes can safely brake: A specially equipped vehicle races down the runway with a computer checking braking action, and if the runway fails the test it must be closed.

On Flight 1086, passengers said there was a surreal calm as the plane bounced and slid off the runway, but some children started crying after it came to a stop. It was only then that everyone realized how close they had come to plunging into freezing saltwater.

Passengers were told to exit over the broken right wing because the rear door was too close to the water. They climbed off the plane dressed in their heavy winter coats and scarves and tromped through several inches of snow.

"As we walked across the runway, it was covered with so much snow that I was wondering: Who decided it was safe to land here?" said passenger Jane Kaufman, of Gainesville, Florida.

Among the passengers was New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell, who said he felt blessed to be safe afterward.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. said the passengers were bused to a terminal.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending an investigator to retrieve the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders and to document damage to the plane.