Plane stuck on runway as wheels sink into tarmacPhillip Dugaw/Reddit


A US Airways flight was delayed for three hours after its wheels sank into the runway tarmac.

Extreme heat reaching 100C at the Reagan National Airport in Washington caused the melting, which rendered the plane immobile.

The small vehicle that tows planes away from the gate attempted to move the aircraft, but it was stuck.

US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said the plane "wouldn't move", telling The Washington Post: "It was apparently a soft spot caused by the heat."

She described the incident as "pretty rare" but added "we've also had very unusual temperatures".

In fact, according to Bloomberg, 2,438 high temperature records were set across America in the last 11 days during ferocious heatwaves.

In a bid to get the plane moving, the 35 passengers got off the 50-seat regional aircraft, and a second, larger, tow vehicle was brought in.

Phillip Dugaw, the passenger who took the photo above, described the experience to the Huffington Post, saying: "There was a jerking motion going back and forth as if something was stuck and preventing the craft from moving at all."

He said the plane was unloaded and passengers spent about 45 minutes in the heat on the tarmac before a bus arrived that took them back to the terminal.

After a three-hour delay, the plane continued its journey to Charleston.


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