Delta runway accident – NTSB has plenty of questions to answer

NEW YORK (AP) -- As the National Transportation Safety Board begins its investigation into a Delta jetliner that slid off a runway while landing during a snowstorm at LaGuardia Airport, there is no shortage of questions to pursue:

Was the runway too slippery? Could it have been a mechanical problem? Did the pilot come in too fast?

Thursday's accident of Flight 1086 from Atlanta caused only minor injuries to six passengers, but it was a scary case of what could have been. The plane came to rest just feet from the icy waters of Flushing Bay.

The NTSB findings could offer lessons for one of the most dangerous aspect of air travel. A study by Boeing found nearly half of fatal commercial jet accidents between 2004 and 2013 occurred during final approach and landing.

The plane was removed with cranes overnight and taken to a hangar, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, said Friday.

The National Transportation Safety Board plans to retrieve the flight data and cockpit voice recorders and to document damage to the aircraft.

The rough landing of the jetliner in a driving snowstorm just minutes after the runway had been plowed has raised questions about when airports should close runways due to snow or ice.

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.

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."

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.

LaGuardia, known for its disconcertingly close proximity to the bay, is one of the most congested airports in the United States. 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.

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.

At airports with longer runways, pilots glide a few feet above the runway and gently touch down. At LaGuardia, Cox said, "you put the airplane on the ground and stop it."

On Flight 1086 from Atlanta, 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 door out the back 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.

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