Iran-bound plane slides off runway in Sweden, none of the 149 passengers injured
By APSaturday, January 16, 2010
Iran-bound plane slides off runway in Sweden
STOCKHOLM — An Iran Air-owned Airbus bound for Tehran slid off a Stockholm runway on Saturday, but no one was hurt, a Swedish airport official said.
Some 172 people, including 23 crew members, were on board the Airbus 300-600 when it swerved off the runway and glided some 130 yards (100 meters) into the snow. Everyone was safely evacuated, Arlanda airport spokesman Anders Bredfall said.
One of the airport’s three runways was closed as officials launched an investigation into the accident.
“Everyone has been safely evacuated and will be flown tomorrow instead,” Bredfall said.
Bredfall said the cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but that it is possible that there were problems with one of the plane’s two engines, possibly causing it to swerve. “But the investigation has to show what really caused it,” he said.
Bredfall said the incident was not expected to cause any major delays to other scheduled flights.
