Only two people out of 136 suffered injuries when a Caspian Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83 overshot the runway and came skidding to a halt on a highway in Mahshahr, Iran on Monday.
The jet lost part of its undercarriage as it skidded off the runway and down the highway after what local media is reporting as a late landing by the pilot. Iranian TV said the captain "landed the aircraft too late and this caused him to miss the runway and caused the aircraft to overshoot the runway and stop in a boulevard".
The passengers and crew members managed to evacuate the aircraft, with videos shared on social media, showing it as a rather slow process, almost leisurely with many taking their baggage with them.
A report that was on the flight later recounted the details to the state broadcaster, the aircraft’s “back wheel had broken off, as we saw it was left on the runway” and said the plane had been moving without wheels before it ground to a halt.
“The plane did not catch fire and all passengers safely left the plane,” managing Director of Khuzestan Airports Mohammad Reza Rezaei told IRNA, Reuters reported.
Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation said an investigation was already underway.
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