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Plane carrying high school swim team goes off runway while trying to land in Alaska

A commuter airplane has crashed near the airport in a small Alaska community on the Bering Sea, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Unalaska, Alaska. Freelance photographer Jim Paulin says the crash at the Unalaska airport occurred Thursday after 5 p.m. Paulin says the Peninsula Airways flight from Anchorage to Dutch Harbor landed about 500 feet (152 meters) beyond the airport near the water. (Jim Paulin via AP)
Jim Paulin
A commuter airplane has crashed near the airport in a small Alaska community on the Bering Sea, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Unalaska, Alaska. Freelance photographer Jim Paulin says the crash at the Unalaska airport occurred Thursday after 5 p.m. Paulin says the Peninsula Airways flight from Anchorage to Dutch Harbor landed about 500 feet (152 meters) beyond the airport near the water. (Jim Paulin via AP)
SOURCE: Jim Paulin
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Plane carrying high school swim team goes off runway while trying to land in Alaska
A plane carrying 42 people, including a high school swim team, went off an airport runway while trying to land Thursday in Alaska.PenAir Flight 3296 from Anchorage to the city of Dutch Harbor landed at Unalaska-Dutch Harbor Airport but went off the runway as it tried to stop, according to Alaska Airlines. An image of the incident shows the aircraft tilted down an embankment to a body of water."PenAir operates the Anchorage-Dutch Harbor service for Alaska Airlines with a Saab 2000 aircraft," the airline said in a statement.The incident happened during a 5:40 p.m. (10:40 p.m. ET) landing, Alaska Airlines said. The plane went off the runway in the small Alaska community near the Bering Sea, more than 800 miles west of Anchorage.Weather conditions at the time included light rain, a drop in visibility and sustained winds of 24 mph with gusts at 31 mph, according to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said it was notified about the incident shortly afterward.Three crew members and 39 passengers were on board, the airline said. KUCB reports two passengers were critically injured and 10 others received some level of medical attention.The superintendent of the school in Cordova, Alaska, where the swim team is from, told CNN that "all students and chaperones are accounted for and are OK."Moments ago, I spoke again with Superintendent Conwell who stated that the team was together, seemed fine, and were eating pizza. Mr. Conwell assured me repeatedly that the students would be well looked after and taken care of," Cordova Superintendent Alex Russin said.City Manager Erin Reinders said she was at the airport to welcome the evening flight and witnessed the incident. "We watched one attempt, and was going with the wind, from the Hog Island side ," said Reinders. "Then it went back up a second attempt. It went with the wind again. It did land, so all the wheels were on the ground. And then it wasn't stopping. It was slowing down, and it was apparent that it was slowing down, but it wasn't stopping.""I don't know if it was coming fast or if it wasn't able to brake or if there was a gust," continued ReindersThe National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate the incident.

A plane carrying 42 people, including a high school swim team, went off an airport runway while trying to land Thursday in Alaska.

PenAir Flight 3296 from Anchorage to the city of Dutch Harbor landed at Unalaska-Dutch Harbor Airport but went off the runway as it tried to stop, according to Alaska Airlines. An image of the incident shows the aircraft tilted down an embankment to a body of water.

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"PenAir operates the Anchorage-Dutch Harbor service for Alaska Airlines with a Saab 2000 aircraft," the airline said in a statement.

The incident happened during a 5:40 p.m. (10:40 p.m. ET) landing, Alaska Airlines said. The plane went off the runway in the small Alaska community near the Bering Sea, more than 800 miles west of Anchorage.

Weather conditions at the time included light rain, a drop in visibility and sustained winds of 24 mph with gusts at 31 mph, according to CNN meteorologist Haley Brink.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said it was notified about the incident shortly afterward.

Three crew members and 39 passengers were on board, the airline said. KUCB reports two passengers were critically injured and 10 others received some level of medical attention.

The superintendent of the school in Cordova, Alaska, where the swim team is from, told CNN that "all students and chaperones are accounted for and are OK.

"Moments ago, I spoke again with Superintendent Conwell who stated that the team was together, seemed fine, and were eating pizza. Mr. Conwell assured me repeatedly that the students would be well looked after and taken care of," Cordova Superintendent Alex Russin said.

City Manager Erin Reinders said she was at the airport to welcome the evening flight and witnessed the incident.

"We watched one [landing] attempt, and [the plane] was going with the wind, [approaching] from the Hog Island side [of Mount Ballyhoo]," said Reinders. "Then it went back up [for] a second attempt. It went with the wind again. It did land, so all the wheels were on the ground. And then it wasn't stopping. It was slowing down, and it was apparent that it was slowing down, but it wasn't stopping."

"I don't know if it was coming [too] fast or if it wasn't able to brake [enough] or if there was a gust," continued Reinders

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate the incident.