Tire blowout prompts W.Va. gov to abort takeoff in personal airplane; no injuries reported
By APThursday, August 26, 2010
W.Va. gov safe after plane blows tire on takeoff
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A spokewoman says West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin is safe after being forced to abort a takeoff in his private plane when it blew a tire.
Manchin was piloting his single-engine Piper Saratoga Thursday. After the tire blew out, the plane veered off the runway and into the grass at Charleston’s Yeager Airport.
Spokeswoman Sara Payne Scarbo says Manchin was with first lady Gayle Manchin and a member of his security detail.
They were headed to a Fairmont reception for his U.S. Senate campaign. The Democrat is seen as the overall front-runner for the late Robert C. Byrd’s seat.
No one was hurt, and the aircraft appeared otherwise undamaged. Scarbro says the governor still planned to attend the campaign event.
