Jet From L.A. Skids Off the Runway in S.F.

A United Airlines jet from Los Angeles skidded off a runway at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, and a USAir DC-9 with suspected engine trouble made an emergency landing in Columbus, Ohio, but no injuries were reported in either incident, officials said.

In San Francisco, an airport spokesman said that a Boeing 737 twin-engine jet with 109 passengers and five crew members lost both its main and backup hydraulic systems just before landing on Runway 28-Left at 11:47 a.m.

Without brakes or steering, United Flight 845 skidded about 4,000 feet and came to rest in a muddy area off the side of the runway. The mud, caused by a recent rainfall, helped stop the plane, airport spokesman Ron Wilson said.

“The pilot just had no control of the airplane,” Wilson said. “Fortunately, it had rained and there was mud off the runway that stopped the aircraft almost immediately.”

A few passengers slid down emergency chutes, but most walked down a ramp that was wheeled to the jet’s side.

United crews will examine the plane for mechanical difficulties and make a report to the Federal Aviation Administration, said Fred O’Donnell, an FAA spokesman in Los Angeles. O’Donnell said it was unusual for the aircraft to lose both the main and backup hydraulic systems.

In Columbus--one of the stops USAir Flight 1493 made before crashing into a commuter plane at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday--a USAir DC-9 with 44 passengers made an emergency landing at Port Columbus International Airport at about 1:20 p.m. Sunday.

No engine problems were discovered, however, and Flight 714, which originated in Detroit, continued on to Charlotte, N.C., about two hours behind schedule, said Steve Baker, airport operations coordinator.

When the plan radioed Columbus it was coming in for an emergency landing, airport officials summoned firetrucks, but no emergency units were needed as the landing was uneventful.

“We knew it was coming in and we were ready,” Baker said. “It was a very smooth touchdown. It looked routine.”