La Guardia Airport is up and running again with delays after an airplane carrying Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence skidded off a runway Thursday night.
Pence along with his family, staff members, reporters and crew members were on board the Eastern Airlines charter when it made the rough landing at about 7:41 p.m. on Oct. 27. No injuries were reported, and the candidate along with others on board the flight safely departed the plane.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates La Guardia Airport, the jet appeared to have overshot one of the airport’s two runways. That runway remains closed while the investigation continues.
Citing Port Authority officials, ABC News reported that the plane hit a concrete barrier at the end of the runway, preventing the jet from skidding onto the nearby Grand Central Parkway.
Pence, governor of Indiana and running mate to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, flew to New York to attend a fundraiser in Manhattan. Five hours earlier, he tweeted a picture of him throwing a football in front of the jet before taking off from Iowa. He noted that he was passing the time due to a “ground hold at La Guardia.”
He took to Twitter to express his gratitude for the assistance of first responders at the scene.
So thankful everyone on our plane is safe. Grateful for our first responders & the concern & prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow!
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 28, 2016
At 9:12 p.m., the city’s Emergency Management office announced on Twitter that La Guardia had reopened “to limited air traffic.” Passengers should call their local carrier to find out if their flights are delayed or cancelled.
It was just another blemish on the track record for La Guardia Airport, which had a plane skid off the runway during a winter storm in March 2015. The airport was rated this week dead last among 29 other airports across the country in reliable performance.
