>>> Boeing jet kills boy
by Derek Yeo


IN A FREAK accident, a Southwest Airlines B737 skidded off a runway - at Chicago's Midway Airport - onto a busy road, and hit at least two cars before stopping with a collapsed nose gear at a junction. The plane landed, moments before, in the midst of a driving snowstorm.

A six-year-old boy, riding in one of the cars with his family, sustained serious injuries. He died later in a hospital. His parents and two younger brothers received treatment for injuries.

Others injured, including four in another vehicle and three "shaken" passengers on the aircraft were sent to hospital.

Airline sources revealed that pilots had to land near the threshold of Midway's short runways to maximise their landing runs, especially in poor weather.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have launched their respective probes into the accident.



Acknowledgement: Photo by Reuters/The Straits Times