An Endeavor Bombardier CRJ-900 operating a Delta Connection flight from Atlanta to Lexington ran off the runway during torrential rain on Saturday.
There were no injuries among the 73 passengers and 4 crew onboard the aircraft after its runway excursion that occurred at approximately 1.30pm on Saturday at Blue Grass Airport. The passengers were bussed to the airport terminal and appeared to be in good spirits according to airport staff.
Endeavor Air released a statement Saturday afternoon, advising “Upon landing in Lexington, KY., Endeavor Air flight 3359 from Atlanta, operating as Delta Connection, turned off the active runway and came to a stop in the grassy area between taxiways A2 and A1. Endeavor crew members made the decision to deplane customers through the main cabin door into the grass where buses took all on board to the terminal. We apologize to our customers impacted by this incident.”
Local weather reports for the region estimated that an inch of rain had fallen during the hour preceding the incident in Lexington. A passenger on the aircraft told local media how wet the runway appeared, “It was pouring down rain and when we did stop in the mud and look out the window, there was a lot of water on the runway. It was like a river on the runway, just the water rushing past.”
Another passenger on the flight said he believed the pilot had made the decision to exit the runway onto the grass area otherwise the aircraft would have overrun the runway and possibly skidded into a ditch.
An investigation has been instigated, although no details have yet been released
