DC air traffic disrupted after American Airlines flight stalls near runway
Emergency crews at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. responded to a jet that has been stopped in the middle of the airport's main runway.
The jet sat on the runway for about 10 minutes before fire and rescue crews arrived, according to a video taken of the plane and posted to social media.
One witness who said he was at the airport and was delayed taking off by the plane said that the pilot of his aircraft informed passengers that the plane "had a hard landing and blew several tires."
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The witness later added that they were forced to to return to the gate to get off their plane while crews tend to the aircraft on the runway.
Ronald Reagan National airport advised passengers flying "to or from" the airport to check with their airline prior to coming to the airport, saying the plane has "temporarily disrupted air traffic."
A spokesperson for American Airlines told Fox News that the plane was experiencing a mechanical issue and that nobody was injured in the incident.
"American Eagle flight 4965, operated by Republic Airways, with service from Memphis to Regan National Airport (DCA) experienced a mechanical issue upon landing at DCA. The flight landed safely and there were no reported injuries. All passengers were bussed to the terminal," the airline told Fox News in a statement Saturday. "There were 71 passengers and four crew on board."
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The pilot of the aircraft told WJLA that they were forced to used the emergency brakes to bring the aircraft to a stop.
"Yes, the tires were blown on the runway," the pilot said. "We had to use emergency breaking to get the airplane to stop. We were, we were not gonna stop."
A spokesman for the airport told Fox News that "Runway 1/19 and 15/33 at DCA are temporarily closed as crews assess the current situation," adding that passengers flying to or from Reagan National Saturday afternoon should contact their airline for the latest information on their flight status.