American Airlines flights: Plane carrying 53 passengers skids off runway at Rochester Airport in New York in 'intense' landing

An American Airlines plane skidded off the runway and onto the grass as it landed amid snowy conditions. The flight, which had 53 people on board, flew from Philadelphia and turbulently landed at Rochester Airport in New York at around 4pm before it slid off the runway. 

No injuries have been reported. A Rochester Airport spokesman confirmed the American Airlines flight landed safely on the main runway before skidding off onto the grass. 

It is not clear what caused the aircraft to veer off the runway. It was lightly snowing in Rochester at the time of the slip and the area is expecting another round of heavy snowfall over the weekend - with two to four inches of snow per hour predicted for nearby Buffalo.

Passengers took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to describe their ordeal. One wrote: “My AmericanAir plane just ran off the runway into the grass at @ROCAirport. Happy landings”. 

Another passenger who lives in Rochester wrote: “We just landed and were taxiing back. The pilot while taxiing took the turn too quickly and we skidded into the grass. The plane is fine and everyone is ok they’re just not telling us anything about when we are getting off.” A third person also said: “I am also one of the passengers on this flight. Very intense landing.”

A video recorded from inside the aircraft shows emergency crews from the sheriff's department and fire services responding to the incident while a separate video showed the passengers being escorted off the plane by firefighters. 

In footage recorded by local television crews, the aircraft was surrounded by at least five vehicles that had their sirens blaring. A picture taken from the plane shows the wing of the aircraft in the background of a grass field covered with snow. 

A Rochester Airport spokesman said: “AA Flight 5811, an E-145 Embraer Regional Jet from Philadelphia with 50 passengers and 3 Crew, landed safety on the main runway. While turning onto Taxi Way A2, the jet veered into the grass. The cause is undetermined at this time. There were no injuries and passengers being moved to the terminal by bus.”

A spokesperson for American Airlines told DailyMail.com: “After landing safely in Rochester (ROC), American Eagle flight 5811, operated by Piedmont Airlines with service from Philadelphia (PHL) to ROC, exited the taxiway while in transit to the terminal due to snowy airfield conditions. 

“Safety is our top priority and we apologize to our customers for their experience. Everyone on board deplaned safely and is being transported to the terminal by bus.”

The plane was towed off the taxiway and was taken out of service for a full inspection. The Federal Aviation Authority is investigating the incident.