Aircraft Skids Off Runway at Dortmund Airport

On 3 January 2010 an Air Berlin flight skidded off the end of the runway at Dortmund Airport during an aborted takeoff. Aviation authorities stated that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft was heading down the runway for a scheduled departure to Gran Canaria Airport in the Canary Islands when the pilot decided to abort the takeoff because of “technical irregularities” with the flight instrumentation. The airport grounds had reportedly been blanketed with snow during storms earlier in the day, and the aircraft was unable to come to a complete stop before the end of the runway. None of the 165 passengers and six crew members was injured in the incident. The airport was closed for a brief period following the aborted takeoff as emergency crews responded to the scene and worked to remove the aircraft from the end of the runway. Government officials stated that although weather appears to be the main factor in the mishap, an official investigation into the incident has been launched.