HARD STOP

Plane Skids Off Runway in Stormy Landing Scare

The plane crashed into a concrete bed, a safety mechanism that was upgraded last year at the Virginia airport.

A plane skidded off the runway Wednesday in Virginia after losing control during a rainstorm. The CommuteAir flight was attempting to land at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport in Virginia on Wednesday at about 9 p.m. when the Embraer ERJ145 aircraft skidded off the runway and was stopped by a concrete safety bed. The 50 passengers and three crew members on board were not harmed in the frightening ordeal. It was not yet clear why the plane overshot the runway, according to CommuteAir spokesman, Jason Kadah, per the New York Times. CommuteAir is a regional airline and partner of United Airlines that offers more than 200 flights daily across its 59 aircraft. The concrete safety bed was credited with preventing any injuries and more damage. “It performed as it should have,” airport spokeswoman, Alexa Briehl, told the Times. Known more formally as an Engineered Materials Arresting System, it is there to stop airplanes that are moving up to 80 miles per hour. The Virginia airport’s concrete bed was upgraded last year, and Wednesday was its first use.