Nose of Plane Breaks Through Newark Terminal Wall
NEWARK, N.J. — The Federal Aviation Administration is trying to determine what caused a Continental Airlines plane to lurch through the wall of a passenger terminal early Wednesday at Newark International Airport.
The nose of the plane broke through the terminal wall about 5 a.m. while mechanics performed a routine engine check, said Continental Airlines spokeswoman Catherine Stengel.
A mechanic inside the cockpit had powered the engine to check the oil quantity when the plane lurched forward and about 20 feet of the aircraft broke through the terminal wall, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.
No passengers were aboard the plane, and no one was injured inside the terminal. Six cleaners aboard the plane and two mechanics were treated at hospitals for bruises and were released.
Authorities were able to dislodge the MD-80 plane from the terminal wall about 2 p.m. and move it to a maintenance hangar, said airport spokesman Steve Coleman.
The plane’s cockpit sustained extensive damage when the nose came through the wall near a passenger boarding gate.
Several gates were closed, but it did not affect airport operations and there were no delays because of it, Coleman said.
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