FedEx plane skids off Texas runway: two injured
2009-01-27

Category Air Accident Nations U.S. City Fort Worth States Texas Category Regions County Tarrant County Metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth Company FedEx Source (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A FedEx cargo plane skidded off a runway and caught fire early Tuesday after landing in Lubbock, Texas, injuring the two pilots aboard, the company said.

The ATR-42 twin-turboprop plane which took off from Fort Worth, Texas slid into a snowy embankment, ploughing its right wing into the ground and catching fire, prompting rescue operations by emergency responders at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, a spokeswoman for the global express transport giant said.

The two pilots were the only people on the aircraft which is owned by FedEx and leased and operated by Empire Airways.

"We are extremely grateful that the crew walked away," Sandra Munoz told AFP. "They were taken to hospital with what initial reports said were minor injuries."

Meteorologists reported snow and freezing rain early Tuesday across parts of Texas, including Lubbock, but Munoz said there was no official word yet on whether the weather was a factor in the accident.

Federal investigators were looking into what caused the plane to lose control.