Plane skids off taxiway at George Bush Intercontinental Airport
HOUSTON, Texas - FOX 7 has exclusive cell phone video of the moments after a United Airlines flight skidded off the runway in Houston.
Passengers were very frightened, and one of them was FOX 7's Ashley Paredez.
She went straight into reporter mode and kept FOX 7 updated as it was unfolding.
Through Facebook and Twitter, she showed audiences what was happening every step of the way. Her smart phone video quickly went viral.
It was a smooth take off for United Airlines flight 1545, but it was the landing that took everyone by surprise.
The plane left Las Vegas just after midnight Monday, making its way over to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Passengers were sleeping until the pilot came on the intercom telling them the weather would cause a bumpy ride for the final 30 minutes.
Fog prevented anyone from being able to see what was going on outside.
Then all of a sudden the plane 'hit' the ground.
"When we hit that hard, nosegear down was just way hard. As a retired flight attendant, I've had a lot of hard landings. This one I'd describe as Captain Kangaroo. Hit that runway and bounced a couple of times and then we skidded off," said passenger Donna Mason.
The hard landing was so intense, Ashley says even she put her hands out to stop herself from slamming into the seat in front of her.
Then, she says, it felt as if the plane was leaning to left, so much so, she thought they might tip over. But the mud and grass helped prevent that from happening.
Throughout that time, the cabin crew tried to keep everyone calm.
"They're simply waiting for the buses to arrive and they'll leave us here until that should occur. It's in best interest since it is quite muddy outside so until the buses do get here, we'll sit just a little bit longer and then we'll be on our way," a pilot said on the intercom.
Fortunately all 167 passengers were fine.
Fire and rescue crews took about an hour and a half to figure out the best way for everyone to exit.
A ladder was set up at the rear-end.
In Ashley's video, you can see the Houston Fire Department helping everyone out of the plane.
Passengers relieved to set foot on the ground.
Several buses drove passengers over to the terminal as crews remained on scene to determine what happened.
It was not the best way for anyone to end their trip but they made it.
"I hope that wasn't anyone's first flight because if it was their first flight they're not going to want to go again," Mason said.
FOX 7 contacted united airlines. They sent out this message to passengers:
"Our network operations center notified us that after a normal landing, flight 1545 went off the paved surface. We were unable to move the aircraft to a gate. I understand that you were asked to deplane using movable stairs. We are truly sorry we did not provide the quality of service that you expect and deserve from united airlines."