A Delta plane slid off an icy taxiway in Kansas City - here's what happened
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A319 aircraft, one of the aircraft that Delta uses for short and medium-haul flights.
It had been first delivered to Northwest Airlines in 2000.
The Airbus had arrived from Detroit the night prior and was planning on heading to Austin tomorrow, according to FlightRadar24 data, as its next flight.
Five other commercial flights to Dallas, Washington, Miami, Charlotte, and Phoenix operated by American Airlines and Southwest Airlines were able to depart without incident at around the same time.
In cold winter months when precipitation occurs or ice builds up on an aircraft's service, de-icing fluid is applied to the exterior of the aircraft.
There are two types of fluid — de-ice and anti-ice — with the former to be applied if ice is already present and the latter is icy conditions are expected in the air.
An aircraft with green or orange fluid on its fuselage indicates that it either de-ice or anti-ice fluid has been applied.
On the ground, however, it's up to the airport to ensure that its surfaces are safe to use to avoid incidents such as this.
Similar to on the highways, ice-melting material is applied to the taxiways and runways by trucks. Aircraft cannot safely land or depart until this is done, effectively shutting down an airport.
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