Jetliner skids off runway into busy street

3 injured as Boeing 737 strikes car

A Southwest Airlines 737 ran off a runway in Burbank, California, on Sunday

March 6, 2000
Web posted at: 1:41 a.m. EST (0641 GMT)

In this story: Runway soaked after days of rain 'Incident' investigation under way Hollywood Way snarled by jetliner RELATED STORIES, SITES

From CNN Producers Stan Wilson and Tony Frassrand

BURBANK, California (CNN) -- A Southwest Airlines 737 with 142 people aboard skidded off the end of a rain- slicked runway after landing Sunday night, smashed through a fence and ran out into a busy street, striking a car.

Police said three people -- a pilot and two passengers from the plane -- were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The two people in the car were not hurt.

The jet came to a stop in the middle of the street, near a row of stores, about 100 feet from a gas station, said Burbank Fire Marshal Darryl Forbes, who said about 10 gallons of fuel oil spilled into the street.

A married couple in the car that was struck escaped injury but said they were in shock.

Runway soaked after days of rain

The Federal Aviation Administration said Southwest Flight 1455 landed at Burbank International Airport from Las Vegas at 6:11 p.m. carrying 137 passengers and a crew of five. The runway was soaked from weekend-long rain.

The airport authority and Burbank Police both said the plane hit the runway traveling too fast, crashed through a perimeter fence and ran into Hollywood Way, a heavily traveled five-lane suburban street that runs through the San Fernando Valley to North Hollywood.

Airline and federal investigators said cause of the incident had not been determined.

"It's not certain at this time why the aircraft was not able to stop," Southwest Airlines said in a statement.

Firefighters sprayed the plane with foam. Forbes said its nosegear collapsed when it hit the fence, demolishing a long stretch of it, 50 to 75 feet long.

'Incident' investigation under way

Bob and Katie Glickman were in the car struck by the plane but not badly damaged.

"I said to myself, 'Oh my God!. We're going to be hit by a plane' and ducked," Katie Glickman told CNN. "There was panic in the street. People thought the plane was going to explode."

The Glickmans were not hurt. They said they were "in shock" and so scared, they didn't think of speeding up.

The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington classified what happened as an "incident," rather than an "accident," which is considered more serious, said spokesman Keith Holloway.

Holloway said the NTSB's regional office in California would coordinate the investigation.

Hollywood Way snarled by jetliner

The injured were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank. The pilot suffered minor head and back injuries, Forbes said. The injuries to the passengers were described as minor but no details were given.

The plane landed on the airport's east-west runway, which was shut down afterwards, leaving only one runway operating and delaying an undetermined number of flights.

Street traffic also was snarled and Forbes said the plane probably would not be moved off Hollywood Way until sometime Monday.

The airport, about 15 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, is known as Burbank Glendale Pasadena Airport locally, but Southwest Airlines refers to it as Burbank International Airport.

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