ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — A SkyWest commercial passenger plane from Denver carrying about 50 people slid off the runway during landing late Tuesday at the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport.
According to a statement from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, emergency crews responded to a call around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday. A Skywest commercial passenger plane out of Denver, destined for Rock Springs, reportedly slid off the runway upon attempting to land; the cause and details remain under investigation by airport personnel and federal aviation authorities.
“At this time no injuries have been reported and buses from Sweetwater County School District #1 are assisting to transport passengers from the plane to safety,” said a City of Rock Springs statement posted on Facebook late Tuesday.
The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport said in a message to Oil City News early Wednesday that a statement would be forthcoming later today “after coordinating with the airline, NTSB, and FAA.”
“For now … all passengers and crew deplaned safely,” they said, adding that the NTSB and the FAA are investigating the incident.
A person who claimed to have been a passenger on the flight said in response to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post about the incident that “everyone on the flight was fine” and described the incident as a “slow motion slide.”
“We were well taken care of,” she said.
According to flightaware.com, the Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 from Denver landed in Rock Springs at 10:22 p.m. last night. The twin-jet engine aircraft has a total capacity of 50 passengers and three flight crew members, according to SkyWest.
Correction, Dec. 31, 2022: The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office initially reported the plane slid on black ice while landing. The plane landed safely and partially left the pavement only after attempting to turn onto the taxiway.
