2003/02/14 - United Express .. / gear collapse on landing / KBMI / no injuries Flight lands roughly in snow Saturday, February 15, 2003 / The Pantagraph - By Sharon K. Woulfe BLOOMINGTON -- The landing gear on a commuter jet collapsed during a landing amid a snowstorm Friday night at Bloomington's airport, but no passengers were injured. The nose landing gear "folded up into itself" shortly after the 50-passenger United Express flight from Chicago touched down about 9 p.m., airport executive director Mike La Pier said. While officials don't know whether the weather played a role in that mishap, the snow, rain and ice did play a role in a previous airplane problem at the airport and a host of car accidents throughout Central Illinois. The United Express plane stood on the runway while passengers rode a bus through white-out conditions to the terminal about one mile away. Meanwhile, a Federal Aviation Administration investigation team was dispatched late Friday night to Bloomington. Officials gave permission to tow the plane off the runway to a hangar. La Pier said the airport did not close during either plane incident. The landing gear collapse surprised the passengers, but they said they took it calmly. "You heard something -- 'Wham!' -- and it sheared it right off. I heard the nose lay down," said passenger Dale Babb of Decatur, who said the snow felt like it cushioned the blow. "Well, it was jarring," said passenger Linda Hall of Hilton Head, S.C., who was headed to the Springfield area for a funeral. "We hit something hard like we were in trouble. However, we weren't. Then the pilot came out and reassured us." The incident came a few minutes after Bloomington firefighters were called to the airport to stand by while a Northwest Airlink flight from Detroit landed. That plane reported a malfunction in its engine de-icer, but it landed safely. While emergency officials at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington were busy, the weather also kept county and state police busy throughout Central Illinois. Numerous minor traffic accidents were reported, as were scattered power outages. Snow fell all evening in Bloomington-Normal and areas to the north, while Logan County and other areas to the south reported rain turning to snow. The National Weather Service in Lincoln, meanwhile, issued a winter storm warning Friday night that was expected to last into today. About 6 to 10 inches of snow are expected by this afternoon. Northeast winds between 15 to 30 mph will cause blowing and drifting today, officials predicted. "We're expecting six to 10 inches of snow anywhere from Pontiac to Springfield," meteorologist Kirk Huettl said. "I guess it's our turn."