US Airways Flight 1702 Crashed, Passengers Describe The Harrowing Experience

When US Airways Flight 1702 crashed on takeoff due to a failure of the nose gear, the passengers were up for quite a “harrowing” experience according to one description.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the crash of US Airways Flight 1702 at the Philadelphia International Airport could have been much worse. When the plane suffered a tire burst, the pilot chose to abort their takeoff effort only to have the entire nose gear collapse while still in motion on the tarmac. This quick decision probably saved the lives of everyone on board since even then the plane was sent skidding down the runway while on its nose.

The best news was that no one experienced any serious injuries, although two people did seek medical assistance. The Airbus A320 jet was carrying 149 passengers and five crew members. Originally, US Airways Flight 1702 was intended on going to Florida, so some of them booked a new flight and have recently arrived in Florida.

It’s said the plane momentarily lifted off the ground before slamming back down to Earth, jolting everyone inside. Passenger Dennis Fee says when US Airways Flight 1702 started skidding down the runway that “people were screaming and crying. It was quite harrowing.” As people exited the plane, they could smell smoke and everyone ran away from the Airbus A320 because they feared it might explode. Passenger Larry Grant described the scene:

“All the sudden we slammed back into the runway and bounced, and we go up a little more and we slam again. It happened very quickly, so we didn’t know exactly what was going on. Almost instantaneously people from the back were screaming ‘fire, fire,’ and so passengers did what they were supposed to do and they pulled the emergency doors over the window, and we started to proceed and the ramps inflated, and we got everybody out. We slid down the ramps, very fast.”

Investigators are still trying to figure out why US Airways Flight 1702 crashed. Some reports claim wind may have been a factor; the plane has only just been removed from the runway in order to be examined properly within a hangar.

[Image via Fox News/AP]