ROANOKE, Va. – A specialized safety bed of crushable concrete stopped a United Express regional jet from overrunning the tarmac after it skidded off a runway during a rainy landing at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport late Wednesday.
CommuteAir Flight 4339, arriving from Washington Dulles International Airport, was carrying 50 passengers and three crew members when the incident occurred around 9:56 p.m. Airport officials confirmed no injuries were reported.
The aircraft came to a stop on the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at the end of Runway 16-34.
“It performed as it should have,” said Alexa Briehl, a spokeswoman for the airport.
This was the first time the arresting system, which was upgraded at the airport last year, has been used in an emergency, officials said. The technology is designed to safely stop an aircraft by having the concrete blocks collapse under its weight.
A spokesman for CommuteAir, Jason Kadah, confirmed the flight overshot the runway during heavy rain but said the cause was under investigation.¹ Passengers were safely transported from the aircraft to the terminal, where a resource center was established.
The incident prompted an immediate, temporary closure of all runways. The main runway, 6-24, reopened to traffic just after midnight, but Runway 16-34 remained closed Thursday morning. Airport officials advised travelers to expect delays and check with their airlines for the most current flight status updates.
The Federal Aviation Administration reports that EMAS technology is installed on at least 120 runways nationwide.¹ According to the FAA, the system has been credited with safely stopping more than two dozen runaway aircraft across the country, preventing serious accidents.
An investigation into the cause of the runway excursion is underway.
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