Plane Carrying Mike Pence Skids Off Runway At LaGuardia Airport

No one was injured in the incident, which happened Thursday night as the vice presidential candidate arrived in New York City from Iowa.

Pence’s campaign airplane sits partially on the tarmac and the grass after sliding off the runway in New York. Mary Altaffer / AP

An airplane carrying Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence skidded off the runway Thursday evening at New York City’s LaGuardia airport. No one was injured.

The incident occurred as a storm brought rain and wind to the New York City area, leaving the runway slick. CNN producer Elizabeth Landers was aboard the plane and said after a “pretty rough landing” the back of the plane started “to fishtail” for 20 or 30 seconds.

“It was long enough to feel that this was not a straight smooth landing on the runway,” Landers said.

The airport was closed until further notice after the incident.

The plane eventually came to a stop on grass near the runway, Landers said, adding that Gov. Pence immediately came to the back of the plane to make sure everyone was OK.

Mike Pence talks with firefighters after his campaign plane slide off the runway Thursday. AP

Pence reported seeing mud on the front windows and cockpit of the plane, and the pilot could smell burning rubber, the Associated Press reported.

Landers said the runway was visibly torn up, apparently from where the wheels of the plane made contact with the asphalt. The damage to the runway was visible in live video footage broadcast from the scene.

Earlier Thursday, Pence shared a photo of himself playing football on the tarmac in Iowa, saying that a ground stop at LaGuardia had delayed their trip.