Plane evacuated at Midway Airport for mechanical issue; no one injured
CHICAGO - No one was injured Monday when an airplane experienced a mechanical issue shortly after landing at Midway International Airport and was evacuated.
The fire department was called about 8:20 a.m. for a plane with “a mechanical issue in the front of the plane,” according to Chicago Fire Dept. Deputy District Chief Walter Schroeder.
Everyone disembarked, and no injuries were reported, Schroeder said.
Video broadcast from the scene showed a Southwest Airlines plane on the airfield surrounded by emergency vehicles. Photos posted to social media showed a plane with a flat tire.
In a statement, Southwest Airlines said that all 137 customers and five crew members were evacuated from the plane when the “aircraft experienced a hydraulic issue following landing.”
“There are no injuries reported and we place nothing higher than safety as we remove this aircraft from service pending a maintenance review,” the airline said in its statement.
The flight, #4448 from Austin, had turned off the runway after landing and stopped short of approaching the terminal building, according to the statement. Everyone aboard was evacuated onto buses and taken to the terminal.
The Chicago Dept. of Aviation confirmed they had a “standby alert” for the Southwest Airlines flight from Austin, but declined to comment further.