Commuter Flight Veers Off Runway In Dramatic Roanoke, VA, Landing

On September 24, the overshot landing of a plane in Roanoke, Virginia, left the 53 on board frightened — though ultimately safe.

CommuteAir Flight 4339 departed from Washington Dulles International Airport on a United Express route. The landing happened around 9:18 p.m. at Virginia’s Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, according to state police, who informed USA Today.

Local news source WDBJ reported that the regional airport’s runway is short, and CommuteAir Flight 4339 didn’t have enough time to completely stop before running into the flight hub’s Engineered Materials Arrestor System (EMAS). The local outlet described the latter as a safety net of sorts. The EMAS is reportedly made up of “crushable concrete blocks” that stop a plane in its tracks when it overruns the runway.

Photos from the landing’s aftermath showed that the plane’s tires were deeply embedded in the EMAS. 

“Tail number N21129 was landing and did not provide enough braking distance to bring the plane to a stop. And [it] continued off the end of the paved runway onto the emergency stopping equipment,” the authorities explained of the incident. 

“We’re incredibly grateful that technology performed as it should have, incredibly grateful there’s no injuries and for the fast response of all of our first responders. It did what it was supposed to do. The technology is pretty amazing, when you think about it,” noted Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport spokeswoman Alexa Briehl.

What Else Is There To Know About CommuteAir Flight 4339?

There were reportedly 50 passengers and three crew members on the small flight. The incident is said to have caused a temporary airport shutdown. However, operations were up and running again by 7 a.m. the following day. Passengers shared with WDBJ how jarring the incident was. 

“It suddenly went down at a very hard and very late landing,” recalled passenger Steve Harrison.

“I’ve never felt plane brakes go on so strongly before,” added Debra Tatar, another flyer who experienced the dramatic landing.

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