Posted on: Monday, December 25, 2000 Hawaiian jet skids off Tahiti runway Associated Press A Hawaiian Airlines jet slid off the end of the runway after landing in heavy rain at Papeete, Tahiti.

The 139 passengers and 15 crew members escaped injury in the incident that occurred shortly before midnight Saturday, the airline said.

The passengers were able to leave the aircraft after it came to a stop with its nose gear resting in water. They used the plane’s emergency escape slides to disembark.

Flight 481 was a nonstop flight from Honolulu to Papeete.

The airline said the leased McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, flown by a pilot with 23 years experience, had a scheduled maintenance check on Nov. 29.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified, airline officials said.

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-- Carl Jenkins (somewherepress@aol.com), December 25, 2000