A Delta plane experienced a scary snag during an icy landing attempt at an Iowa airport in the United States on Saturday (US time), according to local American news reports. The Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft in question was Flight 5087, which is operated by Endeavor Air, as per a Delta airlines statement.

“A Delta Air Lines aircraft slid off the runway while landing,” Des Moines International Airport (DSM) spokesperson Sarah Hoodjer told the Des Moines Register. The incident is said to have happened around 10 pm local time, as the aircraft was flying from Detroit to Iowa during a snowstorm.

Fortunately no injuries were reported after the incident. The airport representative also confirmed to the local media outlet, all 54 passengers and four crew members were safe and were “deplaning onto buses for transport to the terminal” at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the case.

The airport was temporarily closed after the incident.

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Thanksgiving weekend beckons winter storm

Although the Delta spokesperson cited “icy conditions” in the reported statement, a detailed explanation about the landing scare was not laid out. The incident took place right after Thanksgiving Day. More than a foot of snow and strong winds swept the US midwest over the weekend, as 53 million people from South Dakota and New York remained under winter weather alerts, according to the Guardian.

On Sunday, Des Moines airport recorded 10.9 inches or 28 cm of snow through midnight, marking the highest two-day snowfall for the city in Iowa since January 2024.

US airport closed amid Thanksgiving travel surge

In light of the development, Des Moines International Airport was temporarily closed in the middle of peak holiday travel season over the Thanksgiving weekend.

DSM eventually shared a statement regarding the airport’s awaited reopening. “Following last night’s flight that slid off the runway, we anticipate the airport may reopen by mid-morning today,” officials wrote on X.

Airport reopens: The airport has since issued a new update on social media, stating, “The airfield is now open and operations have resumed. We appreciate everyone’s patience.”

According to FlightAware.com, 41 flights were cancelled at the DSM on Sunday, accounting for 42% of the airport’s flights that day. The flight-tracking website also reported 45 flight delays.

Just the day before the incident, the airport had issued a winter warning for travellers. “Winter weather is moving into the DSM area Friday-early Sunday. Stay weather aware and contact your airline for updates on your flight,” the DSM shared via Facebook.

On top of that, the National Weather Service’s weather warning on its website stated, “A significant winter storm will produce a broad area of moderate to heavy snow from the Midwest through the western Great Lakes. Significant snow accumulations of 6-12 inches, and locally more than 1 foot, and gusty wind may cause hazardous travel conditions.”

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Delta plane landing scare during holiday travel season – Des Moines’ big prediction

With just one week to go before Thanksgiving, Des Moines spokesperson Sarah Hoodjer revealed that the DSM airport expected record number of travellers this holiday season.

“Wednesday through Sunday is kind of our crazy busy Thanksgiving period,” she said, according to CNBC’s Des Moines outlet WHO 13. “We’re expecting about 24,000 travelers to come through the terminal. So it’s going to be kind of busy.”

Moreover, she also pointed toward there having been a 13% increase in the number of flights leaving from Des Moines as compared to last year’s Thanksgiving. Hoodjer even attributed the increasing travellers to the addition of new routes at the airport.

“This year alone, we’ve added six new routes,” she added, as per WHO 13. “Usually you get one or two new routes, so it’s kind of speaking very loudly to the Des Moines market, how well we perform, and airlines are liking us. They like coming in here and giving us these great routes, and we’ll take them.”