Update at 10:55 a.m.
Statement from Southwest Airlines:
“(Thursday) morning, Flight #4695 leaving Islip for Tampa exited the taxiway during taxi from the gate. The aircraft had 129 customers on board, and there were no reported injuries. The customers deplaned the aircraft and were bussed back to the terminal where a replacement aircraft will take them to their original destination. Maintenance crews are working to move the aircraft and evaluate it for any damage.”
Update at 8:45 a.m.
FiOS1 reported the Southwest jet that the slid off a taxi-way at Long Island MacArthur Airport Thursday morning was bound for Tampa, FL, with continuing service to Nashville, TN.
The report said Flight 4695, scheduled to depart at 6:15 a.m. and arrive in Tampa at 9:15 a.m., had six crew members and 129 passengers. No injuries have been reported.
Information from MacArthur Airport’s website shows the flight is now scheduled to depart at 11:55 a.m.
Original report:
A Southwest Airlines plane slid off a runway at Long Island MacArthur Airport Thursday morning, according to a report in Newsday.
A spokesperson for the Suffolk County Police Department said the airliner came to a stop on the grass. Initial reports indicated there were no injuries.
Details about the flight, such as number of passengers and where the flight was arriving from where not immediately available.
Southwest, along with US Airways, is one of two commercial airliners operating out of the Ronkonkoma-based airport. The Dallas-based carrier operates using only Boeing 737s.
This is a breaking news story and Patch will update as more details become available.
