Plane skids off Detroit runway; 3 hurt

Northwest Airlines A320 Airbus Saturday

DETROIT, Michigan (CNN) -- A Northwest Airlines A320 Airbus bound for Miami skidded off the runway at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Saturday, injuring three people and briefly closing the airport.

Northwest Airlines spokesman Matt Friedman said the accident happened about 6 a.m. EST, when the pilot of flight 985 aborted takeoff and the plane skidded off the runway. Evacuation chutes on the jet deployed, and passengers and crew were evacuated, said Friedman.

Friedman said he did not know why the pilot aborted the takeoff.

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There were 154 people onboard, Friedman said. That figure included 146 passengers, five flight attendants and three pilots in the cockpit. Friedman said the third pilot was in the "jump seat," not working in a pilot's capacity.

Passengers were bused to the terminal about 8:15 a.m. Light snow was falling in Detroit and at the airport Saturday, but it was not known if the weather was a factor in the accident.

In an interview with CNN affiliate WJBK TV, Detroit Metro Airport spokesman Michael Conway said three people were treated by airport firefighters and emergency medical technicians for minor injuries.

Conway said that the airport was closed for a short time but that all but the center runway, where the plane remained off the runway, had been re-opened.

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Northwest Airlines
Detroit Metropolitan Airport

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