A plane crash on the tarmac at the San Luis Obispo County Airport Friday morning caused multiple delays and diversions for travelers on a busy Memorial Day weekend.
“I headed to TSA, and it was really empty and I thought, what is going on here?" traveler Karen Christian wondered.
TSA agents turned flight passengers away, telling them to check in with their airlines, and the airport was closed until 5 p.m. as firefighters assisted in cleaning up the tarmac following the crash. Incoming flights were forced to land elsewhere and departures were delayed until further notice.
"Flights will likely be diverted here from the San Luis Obispo County Airport," said Airport Deputy Director Courtney Pene. "The diversion will be based up to the airlines, whether they want to go back to their original location or if they want to divert to a nearby airport.”
Passengers either waited inside the airport or rearranged flight plans to get to their destinations on time.
"They said they're cleaning up oil on the runway," Christian added. "Apparently, that spilled and they can't open until that's cleaned up. So, yeah, temporarily freak out. I'm trying to get to Wichita, Kansas by tonight."
While some were on their way to a cruise, others on their way back from visiting family, all had the same issue. They all needed to rebook their flights for a different time, from a different location, to make it to their destination.
“Now it's calling my mom, seeing what I gotta do next," Hailee Berger said. "Calling the airlines and trying to figure out another way to get to Dallas and hopefully Cincinnati."
