Because of a reporter's error, stories on Page One Feb. 20 and in Tuesday's Metro section about a Feb. 18 accident involving a Delta Air Lines plane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport referred to a runway navigation device as a guideslope. It is a glideslope.
The pilot of a Delta Air Lines plane that skidded off the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport during heavy snowfall last week said he momentarily lost sight of the runway just as he was about to land, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Once on the ground, the report said, the pilot "could barely see the runway lights and taxiway turn-offs," and despite heavy braking, the 70-passenger jet did not slow down.
The report does not say where on the runway the plane touched down - information an airport official has said is important to determine what happened.
The report confirms that a Guideslope device, which emits a signal that helps guide pilots onto the runway, was covered with snow and not working. But the report does not say if landing without the device was to blame for the accident.
The safety board does not say what caused the jet to slide 150 feet off the runway and through a fence before coming to a stop on the grass. That assessment is expected in the final report due in the next 18 months, a spokesman said.
None of the 74 passengers and crews was injured.
The Embraer 170 jet operated by Shuttle America for Delta Air Lines was coming in from Atlanta on Feb. 18.
Here is the account of the jet's landing at Hopkins, according to the report:
The first officer was flying the plane.
Air traffic control cleared the plane to land on one of the airport's 9,000-foot runways. But 10 minutes before landing, an air traffic controller told the pilots to land on a 6,000-foot runway instead. The controller informed the pilots at that time that the Guideslope device was not working.
The longer runways were not used because they were being cleared of snow, Hopkins Commissioner Fred Szabo said last week.
The pilots were told that the visibility was 6,000 feet once on the ground. But as the plane made its final approach, they were told the visibility had decreased to 2,000 feet.
When the plane was 50 feet from the ground, the pilot said he could see the approach lights and runway. The first officer then turned off the autopilot.
At 30 feet from the ground, the pilot said he momentarily lost sight of the runway but regained sight of it before the plane's wheels hit the ground.
He said he encountered "strong gusty winds" just before touchdown.
The pilot put the plane into full reverse and braked but said "the airplane did not seem to slow down."
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