Airplane pilots struggled to land jets at airports around the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region due to severe winds that swept through the district Friday.
The most dramatic example came at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when a Southwest Airlines plane flying north attempted to land, but aborted at the last minute due to wind gusts that prevented it from being able to land straight.
.@SouthwestAir plane attempts to land at Reagan National, but winds force it to abort landing. #goaround @dcairports Video: Andrew Clegg pic.twitter.com/Qt6BAwAtoy— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) March 2, 2018
It was a rough day for air travel throughout the Washington, D.C., area as a wind storm generated wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, the most brutal wind weather the area has faced in three years.
Another plane at National took off then struggled to make its course against the harsh winds.
Check out the wind blowing this plane as it takes off at DCA pic.twitter.com/yiIFS06T2e— Matt Ackland (@mattacklandfox5) March 2, 2018
One pilot who landed a flight at Washington Dulles International Airport Friday morning logged in his post-flight report that “pretty much everyone on the plane threw up” during the plane’s descent into the region.
A passenger from a flight that landed at National said people aboard his flight also vomited during the landing.
New: Passenger on @SouthwestAir flight from Orlando to DCA says passengers were vomiting as the plane came in for a landing pic.twitter.com/2F2tWRlrdm— Matt Ackland (@mattacklandfox5) March 2, 2018
The air traffic control at Dulles had to be evacuated at one point during Friday afternoon as well.
Office of Personnel Management announced early Friday that the federal government would be closed due to severe winds from a storm plaguing nearby states.
