Jet Skids Off Runway, Hits Tower in Storm; 28 Injured

A jumbo jet bound for Florida with 467 people aboard skidded off a runway and smashed into a concrete tower when the pilot aborted takeoff during a snowstorm Wednesday.

Twenty-eight passengers were injured in the accident, which occurred as storms across the eastern half of the United States tied up highways and air travel.

The accident closed John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest, for four hours. At least 200 other flights there had to be delayed, canceled or diverted.

Tower Air said the pilot of the Boeing 747 aborted the takeoff because the runway was icy. But the New York-New Jersey Port Authority, which operates the airport, disputed that.

The 452 passengers and 15 crew members were evacuated. None of the injuries were life-threatening, although 16 people were taken to hospitals.

About 7 inches of snow had fallen at the airport since Tuesday, and snow was still falling when the accident occurred.

Kennedy wasn’t the only airport with problems: Stranded travelers slept in lounges in New Jersey and Massachusetts.

“I really need a shower,” said Michelle Piskovich, who spent an uncomfortable night at Newark International Airport.

Hundreds of flights were canceled Tuesday and Wednesday because of two storms that iced a region stretching from the Plains to New England. Passengers had to vie for the scant seats available during the pre-holiday rush.

Up to 2 feet of snow fell in northwestern Pennsylvania, with a foot in Ohio and New Jersey. Massachusetts got 10 1/2 inches and southern Maine 6 inches. Missouri got up to 10 inches.

Schools were closed across the Ohio Valley and the Northeast.

Four deaths were blamed on the weather in Maine and Connecticut.