About an hour ago
A native of Lower Burrell was among 77 people aboard a Boeing 717 that slid off a taxiway before taking off on Wednesday night at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Kristen Singleton, 46, had a window seat on Delta Air Lines flight 2231. Sitting in the middle of the plane, she was looking out while the plane taxied to prepare for takeoff.
“Suddenly, I was looking at a ditch,” she said. “We were reaching the end of the runway to take a turn to take off in the other direction, and we just never stopped going at the end of the runway.”
It was only when Singleton and other passengers used the stairs to get off the plane that they realized how bad the situation could have been, she said.
No one was hurt, but the plane partially slid into a ravine. The crew explained the situation to passengers as they developed a plan to get passengers off the plane safely, Singleton said.
The people sitting in the front went down first to keep their weight on the back of the plane, which remained on the taxiway.
Passengers were concerned, but remained calm at all times, Singleton said.
“The crew was great. The solo team was great, ”she said. “It caught everyone off guard.”
As she took a bus back to the terminal, she asked a fireman if he would be worried about taking another plane on Wednesday night and he reassured her, Singleton said.
“You were the only plane on which this happened,” she said.
Singleton lives in Butler, where she teaches at the Butler Catholic School. She was flying to Atlanta and then to Tampa, Florida, to visit her parents.
She boarded another flight and arrived at 2:45 am in Atlanta, slept at the airport before arriving on Thursday in Tampa, where it was 30 degrees, she said.
She will use the experience in the classroom, she said.
“This is definitely something that will be talked about for many years,” said Singleton.
Airport crews continue to work with Delta to remove the plane from the airfield, said Bob Kerlik, spokesman for Allegheny County Airport Authority.
They are using heavy equipment to remove the plane and await the arrival of specialized equipment on Thursday.
The cause of the incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, said Kerlik.
Two runways remain open at the airport and there is no impact on airport operations, he said.
Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said the airline is also reviewing what happened in coordination with the Allegheny County Airport Authority and others.
The airline is also working to bring luggage to customers during the flight.
“Many customers chose to continue their travels on Wednesday night on an alternative aircraft provided by Delta, while others left this morning on a regular flight,” said Durrant. “We contacted all customers and apologized for the inconvenience.”
Tom Davidson is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tom at 724-226-4715, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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