United plane slides off Houston runway, third incident in one week

(NewsNation) — A United Airlines plane slid off the runway and into a grassy knoll shortly after landing in Houston Friday morning, making the incident the third unusual safety occurrence for the airlines this week.

United Airlines flight 2477 touched down at George Bush Intercontinental Airport around 8 a.m. Central time, but as it approached the gate, the plane ran off the pavement and into a grass knoll along the runway, airport officials said in a statement. 

None of the 160 passengers and six crew members were injured, United Airlines said in a statement.

Passengers deplaned the Boeing 737 using air stairs and were safely bused to the terminal, the company said.

The flight arrived from Memphis International Airport on Friday. A passenger said the landing was smooth, but while taxiing, they turned and felt bumps, reported KPRC.  

”Felt like when you have a flat tire in a car,” the passenger told the outlet, adding that the plane ended up in the grass leaning towards the left.

A nearby spectator posted a video scene on social media. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said it will look into the incident as it is still unclear what caused the plane to veer off the runway. 

This was the third incident involving safety issues on United Airlines flights this week. 

A United flight from Houston to Fort Myers had to turn around Monday when one of the plane’s engines caught fire.

And on Thursday, a tire fell off a United Airlines flight departing from San Francisco International Airport to Osaka, Japan.

“At approximately 11:35 a.m., United Flight 35 departing to Osaka lost a portion of landing gear tire during takeoff,” United said in a statement.

The FAA is also investigating those incidences.