SmartWings 737 Overuns End of Runway in Poland, Digs Front Gear in Mud
SmartWings Boeing 737 (737-500 pictured)
A SmartWings 737 jet got stuck in the mud after landing on a slippery runway at Katowice Airport, Poland yesterday.
Pilots for SmartWings Flight 7127, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 176 passengers and 6 crew, were unable to move the jet under its own power.
‘Airport spokesman Cezary Orzech said that the airport remained closed while Czech experts were working with Polish airport staff to pull the plane out. In low temperatures and under falling snow they placed and inflated airbags under the fuselage to lift the plane.
All flights have been redirected to nearby Krakow.’
Orzech said that the pilot had been informed that the runway was slippery but decided to land anyway. Travel Service pilots are familiar with the airport, which serves as base for the airline’s aircraft, he said.
Photos of the incident can be seen HERE