Allegiant plane slides off taxiway at Eisenhower airport

The taxiway where an Allegiant Air jet slid off late Sunday night remained closed on Monday at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport.

The Allegiant MD-80 single-aisle jet came off the taxiway at around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, and its 161 passengers and six crew members were transported back to the terminal in buses.

The aircraft’s right wheel left the pavement, “and it ended up on the grass,” said Valerie Wise, the airport’s air service and business development manager. She added that the airplane was taxiing at “a very, very slow speed.”

Flight 405 was en route from Wichita to Las Vegas when it slid off Taxiway B, Wise said.

“I’m told the cause of this is weather conditions and very strong winds,” she said.

No injuries were reported, Wise and Allegiant officials said.

The airline said passengers on the Sunday night flight were shuttled to hotels and offered $100 vouchers for future travel. It also said passengers from that flight could change their reservations at no additional fee or cancel them and receive a full refund.

Allegiant brought another aircraft to Wichita to take the passengers to Las Vegas. That flight left shortly after 7 p.m. on Monday.

Meanwhile, the MD-80 sat off the taxiway, apparently undamaged.

Allegiant spokeswoman Kimberly Schaefer said she didn’t know when the airline would be able to move the airplane, given the icy conditions.

Wise said the Taxiway B closure was not affecting other flights.

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Allegiant plane slides off taxiway at Eisenhower airport."