Tuesday, 12:41 p.m.
The Virgin Islands Port Authority reopened the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport runway on St. Croix at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday after an emergency landing caused a temporary closure.
The runway was closed at 8:55 a.m. when Air Flamenco flight number WAF2203 traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico glided to an emergency landing on the HERA runway. The pilot and the one flight crew member reported no injuries, and the cargo plane had no other passengers onboard the short 360 aircraft.
VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe thanked the HERA operations staff, the airport rescue firefighters, and the airport’s federal partners for their quick response to the incident.
“I would like to especially thank the team at Bohlke International Aviation that assisted us with removing the disabled aircraft. Bohlke continues to be one of the tenants that can always be relied on to assist the Port Authority during normal and emergency operations at the airport,” he said. Dowe added that the incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Tuesday, 10:33 a.m.
An incoming cargo plane made an emergency landing at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix on Tuesday morning, due to failed landing gear deployment, the V.I. Port Authority announced. The pilot safely landed the plane and glided to a stop on the runway, it said, and VIPA closed the runway at 8:55 a.m.
Air Flamenco flight number WAF2203 was transporting cargo from the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico to St. Croix when the incident occurred, according to the press release. Emergency crews immediately responded to the emergency landing of the short 360 aircraft. No fatalities or injuries were reported by the pilot or the one flight crew member, said VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe. The plane had no other passengers onboard.
Dowe said VIPA has notified the Federal Aviation Administration of the incident and is working with contracted towing services to remove the aircraft. The runway closure will cause some delays to incoming and outgoing flights. VIPA apologizes for the delay as it works as quickly as possible to safely reopen the runway, according to the release.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the airline. It is Air Flamenco, not Air Flamingo.
OK, I’m confused. The headline says the runway is open, but the last paragraph of the story says, “The runway closure will cause some delays to incoming and outgoing flights. VIPA apologizes for the delay as it works as quickly as possible to safely reopen the runway, according to the release.”
Editing?