December 24, 2008 at 8:40 PM
A plane taxiing to take off at O'Hare International Airport this evening hit an icy patch and slid sideways onto a grassy surface at the airport, airline and city officials said.
American Airlines Flight 1544 was scheduled to leave for Washington, D.C., and slid off the taxiway after departing the gate at 6:42 p.m.
Airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said the jet was not going very fast as it was trying to turn to get to the runway, and only the left main nose tire went off the pavement.
There were no injuries to the 54 passengers and crew of five aboard, said Fagan.
A city Department of Aviation representative confirmed there were no injuries, and said Chicago Fire Department and Police responded to the scene.
Passengers were removed and taken to the terminal by bus, where they would be placed aboard other flights, Fagan said.
Runway 22L was temporarily closed due to the incident, but flight operations were not impacted because other runways remained open, according to the Department of Aviation.
The cause of the incident has not been determined and is under investigation.
--Sam Unger and Heywood Hoffman
Source: http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/jet-slips-off-taxiway-at-ohare.html