Plane skids off LaGuardia runway, crashes into fence; 6 hurt

New York, Mar 5: A plane from Atlanta skidded off a runway at New York City's LaGuardia Airport while landing during a snowstorm on Friday, crashing through a chain-link fence and coming to rest with its nose perilously close to the edge of an icy bay.

Photos showed the nose of the plane resting on a berm that separates the runway from Flushing Bay. Passengers saddled with bags and bundled up in heavy coats and scarves slid down an inflated chute to safety on the snowy pavement.

Delta Flight 1086, carrying 125 passengers and five crew members, veered off the runway at around 11:10 a.m., authorities said.

Six people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said Joe Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport. Images show the plane resting in snow.

Passengers trudged through the snow in an orderly line after climbing off the plane. Among them was New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell, who said he felt blessed to be safe after the scary landing.

"We were all shocked and alarmed when the plane started to skid, but most importantly, as far as I know, all of the passengers and flight crew were able to exit the plane safely," Donnell said in an email.

AP