Blizzard Cripples Denver Airport But Officials Say Facility Fared Better Than Any Others Would
The airport that was supposed to keep America’s flights on time in any kind of weather failed the test during its first blizzard.
A storm that dumped a half-foot of snow crippled the new Denver International Airport. Snow and rain leaked through the tower roof and fell on computer equipment, prompting state and federal investigations.
One plane took a wrong turn and got stuck in a snow drift, forcing airport officials to cancel landings for 45 minutes. Another plane aborted its landing at the last second because of a snow-removal truck on the runway.
Gates were clogged while planes waited for de-icing.
Nevertheless, officials said the airport, which opened 16 months late and more than $3 billion over budget on Feb. 28, weathered whiteout conditions late Sunday and early Monday better than any other airport in the world.
“We were able to keep three runways open in blizzard conditions and have planes depart and land in those conditions,” airport spokesman Dan Melfi said Tuesday. “I never bought that we would be delay-free. There will always be weather delays.”
Below-freezing temperatures and winds blowing up to 60 mph led to zero visibility, snow-laden runways and icy highways leading to the airport.
The most serious incident came early Monday, when a United Airlines Boeing 727 en route from Chicago nearly crashed into a city truck on the runway. The driver was overseeing snow-removal on the airport’s five major runways.
Mitch Barker, a regional spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the FAA wants to know why the truck was on an active runway and why the ground-radar system failed to detect it.
Both airport and FAA officials admitted that ground radar cannot scan the entire airfield.
The airport, which cost nearly $5 billion, was touted by supporters as the one airfield that could handle any kind of bad weather and ensure flights around the country landed on time.
But the problems came as the snow piled up on Sunday. Late in the day, landings were canceled for 45 minutes when a United Express commuter plane taxied into snow drifts. Melfi blamed pilot error.