United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER slid off the runway during landing at Chicago-O’Hare International Airport. The aircraft was performing a flight UA656 from Phoenix to Chicago, but during landing came to a stop on the snow-covered grass at the airfield. The accident happened in slick conditions as a snowstorm moved through the Chicago area.
Fortunately, all the passengers were safe and without injuries. They were disembarked to the runway from mobility stairs and bused to the terminal.
The investigation for the root cause of the accident is underway.
A major snowstorm dumped 4-9 inches across the Chicago area, snarling traffic and canceling more than 1,000 flights. Temperatures dipped down to the single digits Saturday night onto Sunday and aren’t expected to get much higher than 15 degrees.
The heavy snow impacted road and air travel late Friday and early Saturday as snow and wind gust up to 35 mph lead to poor visibility and blowing snow.
