New York LaGuardia Airport closed on Thursday after a Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 skidded off Runway 13 upon landing in a snowstorm and crashed through a fence on the top of a berm, just feet from the waters of Flushing Bay. The accident forced the 125 passengers and five crewmembers to evacuate onto a broken wing, from which more than 1,000 gallons of fuel spilled onto the ground. Authorities reported minor injuries to 16 occupants, one of which emergency crews transported to a local hospital.
Delta Flight 1086, en route from Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, landed at LaGuardia at roughly 11:05 am, just a few hours after falling rain and ice had turned to snow and temperatures dropped well below freezing, creating a layer of ice on the runway.
The airport planned to reopen at 7 pm, the same time authorities planned to lift a winter storm warning.