Delta Air Lines flight slips off icy runway into snow at Wisconsin airport

None of the plane’s 60 passengers were hurt in the incident

Authorities investigate the scene of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-800 jet that slid off a runway in the snow after arriving at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wis (AP Photo/Wisconsin State Journal, MP King)

In the UK we tend to get annoyed if the weather causes even the briefest of delays at our airports.

So spare a thought for the 60 passengers on board this Delta Air Lines flight into Wisconsin, US yesterday afternoon.

The plane had just landed at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison when it slipped off the runway, coming to rest with its nose above a bank of snow.

Fire crews and ambulance services were initially rushed to aid the stricken Boeing 737-800, but no one was harmed in the incident.

A spokesperson for the airport said Delta Flight 385 from Minneapolis landed at 4pm local time (10pm GMT). The flight “exited the pavement and came in contact with snow adjacent to the runway during taxi away from the runway,” a statement read.

“There was about two inches of snow on the ground at the time of the accident, with light snow falling and visibilities down to about a quarter of a mile,” said weather.com meteorologist Alan Raymond.

Passengers were helped down from the plane and brought to the terminal by bus. The airport was closed while a second runway was cleared of snow, reopening about an hour later.