Southwest 737 Skids off Runway at MDW

[PhilDernerJr]

Anyone have any more details?

[T-Bird76]

It was coming in from BWI landing in heavy snow, no reports right now of how bad.

[PhilDernerJr]

I heard it hit a few cars at Chevron and 55th Street.

Here's the intersection:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.79... ... &t=k&hl=en

[cancidas]

here is the current METAR from MDW:

KMDW 090053Z 10011KT 1/2SM SN FZFG BKN004 OVC014 M03/M05 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP196 R31C/4500FT SNINCR 1/10 P0000 T10331050 $


now i'll decode the important parts for those who don't know it:

09 Dec, 0053 Zulu, wind 100* at 11knots, visibility 1/2 statute miles, snow, freezing fog, overcast at 1400 feet. tempurature -3*C, dew point -4*C, altimiter 3006. the rest don't matter...

[PhilDernerJr]

Watching CNN, the snow is really comin down hard there. I'm surprised the airport was still open.

[PhilDernerJr]

[cancidas]

well it was open until this happenned. wonder what WN's filed alternates are...

[Alex T]

i just flew that exact same flight 2 weeks ago BWI-MDW Also flight 1248, my mom had pointed it out to me she said didnt u fly that flight number and i went to check my boarding pass and indeed I had!

[PhilDernerJr]

Tha't's weird.

98 on board...all ok.

No word on the occupants of the car though.

[Tom_Turner]

Certificates for one free drink, to be redeemed no later than six weeks from today, will be provided to all passengers inconvenienced by todays off loading at the Chevron and 55th street hardstand.

[T-Bird76]

Certificates for one free drink, to be redeemed no later than six weeks from today, will be provided to all passengers inconvenienced by todays off loading at the Chevron and 55th street hardstand.

Hahah that is great! There is someone at Southwest saying, "can we still turn her around in 20?"

[Alex T]

Up dates.

5 injured from the two cars involved, 2 Adults, 3 children, one seriously injured and one critically injured, jaws of life was used.

Aircraft is a 737-700 N471WN is the aircraft involved.

Flight 1248 BWI-MDW.

98 souls on board all evacuated and no injuries from the evacuation.

More updates to come.
Alex

[Max10803]

The word is that MDW is closed as of 9:15 EST.
Plus the car that was rammed by the jet had a guy in it who supposedly is seriuolsy injured.

Anyways looks like we'll be getting that snow in Chicago here in NYC tomorrow.

[USAF Pilot 07]

here is the current METAR from MDW:

KMDW 090053Z 10011KT 1/2SM SN FZFG BKN004 OVC014 M03/M05 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP196 R31C/4500FT SNINCR 1/10 P0000 T10331050 $

the rest don't matter...

The 4,500 visibility on Runway 31C is pretty significant, but even more so is the snow increasing rapidly report, especially since the "main" METAR doesn't report heavy snow.

This means conditions were getting worse; visibilty decreasing, and snow getting heavier, meaning more accumulation betweens plows. I'm sure it didn't help that the ceiling was 400 feet either...

I've always been surprised in what these planes can land in. I was coming back to Denver last year in a snowstorm, and when we landed, the runway was snowpacked. Although landing a plane on a snow-covered runway is different than stopping a car on the same surface, and the braking system is different, it still surprises me that runway slideoffs don't happen more often.

[NIKV69]

One death confirmed. Young boy approx 8 yrs old.

R.I.P.