ROANOKE, Va. – UPDATE
Airport officials say multiple flights Thursday morning are delayed and are asking passengers to check with their airlines for their current flight status.
At about 9:18 p.m. Wednesday, a United Airlines Embraer EMB-145XR arriving from Dulles touched down but did not have enough runway to stop, according to Virgina State police. The plane continued off the end of the paved runway onto the E-MAS (Emergency Stopping Equipment), a bed of crushable cement blocks designed to quickly stop planes that overshoot the runway.
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It was raining, and this runway is about 1,000 feet shorter than most, but it is unclear if either played a factor. An aviation pilot 10 News spoke with said hydroplaning may not have been the cause. They said runways have grooves to help drain water.
Officials said there were 53 passengers and crew on the aircraft, and no injuries were reported. Passengers were bused back to the terminal. It is also worth noting that the E-MAS at this airport was just upgraded last year, and officials say it likely prevented a much more serious crash.
Several smaller roads near the airport have reopened, and officials say the plane has since been towed.
The Virginia State police and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the cause of the incident.
Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story continues to develop.
The Roanoke Blacksburg Airport and City of Roanoke Public Safety teams are actively responding to a commercial regional jet aircraft situated on the engineered materials arresting system on the end of runway 16-34 the airport announced Wednesday.
According to officials, no injuries have been reported, and passengers are being transported via ROA and City Public Safety teams to the terminal.
Officials say that the flight is United #4339 inbound from Washington D.C. (IAD). The resource center is available for passengers and families on the second floor of the ROA Terminal.
All runways are closed, this is a developing story and we will continue to update this story with information as we receive it.