Plane Crash Lands At Lubbock Int'l Airport
By: Amy Montalvo
Updated: January 27, 2009
A FedEx plane crash lands and slides off a Lubbock runway in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The ATR 42 twin prop plane took off from Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth Tuesday morning but was forced to crash land at 4:37am at Lubbock International Airport. The plane caught fire at some point during the landing, but firefighters arrived quickly and were able to extinguish the blaze. Two pilots were transported by Lubbock EMS to UMC with minor injuries.
James Loomis, of the airport, tell us that at the time, visibility was good and runways were clear of ice, leading FedEx officials to believe that the accident was due to a mechanical malfunction, rather than the weather. Says Loomis, "It crashed way short of the intended touchdown point. There was no indication of an emergency prior to the crash. Visibility was good, it was in excess of two miles visibility, and as far as the airport goes, the conditions were acceptable."
Both runways were closed for several hours, but by 8am, one runway was fully functional. The second runway, where the plane crashed, will remain closed for several days while the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the accident.
