A plane had to be stopped by a safety zone at the end of the runway at a Virginia airport

"ROANOKE, Va. -- No injuries were reported after a commercial regional jet overshot the designated touch down zone at a Virginia airport amid heavy rain Wednesday night, but was stopped in a safety area at the end of the runway, officials said. Delays continue at the airport Thursday morning. CommuteAir Flight 4339 "landed long" as it arrived at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport around 10 p.m., according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement."

"The safety area made of cellular cement blocks meant to slow and stop an aircraft that overruns the runway was upgraded last year and performed as intended, airport spokesperson Alexa Briehl said in an email. There was heavy rain in the area at the time of the incident, Briehl said. There were 50 passengers and three crew members on board the flight operating as United Express from Washington Dulles International Airport when it overran the runway while landing at Roanoke, CommuteAir executive vice president and chief financial officer Sean Frick said in an email."

"Passengers aboard the Embraer 145 were bused to the terminal and law enforcement released them to go home a little before midnight, officials said. All runways at the airport were closed for a time. One runway reopened after midnight to arriving and departing traffic, but the runway where the overrun occurred remained closed, the airport said. The FAA said it will investigate. This was the third save this month by an engineered materials arresting system, according to the FAA."

A CommuteAir Embraer 145 operating as United Express from Washington Dulles landed long at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport around 10 p.m. amid heavy rain and overshot the designated touchdown zone. The aircraft was safely stopped by an engineered materials arresting system composed of cellular cement blocks that had been upgraded last year. Fifty passengers and three crew members reported no injuries and were bused to the terminal and released before midnight. One runway remained closed while another reopened after midnight. The FAA will investigate. The arresting system recorded its third save this month, with prior stops at Chicago Executive and Boca Raton airports.

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