Van driver killed as plane skids off runway

A plane skidded off the runway during take-off from an airport in south west France today and hit a van, killing the vehicle’s driver, authorities said.

None of the 50 passengers and four crew members aboard the Fokker-100 were injured in the accident at the Pau airport.

Transport Minister Dominique Perben ordered a rapid investigation to determine the cause of the accident at the airport on the edge of the Pyrenees.

However, a ministry statement, citing witness accounts, said it appeared that the aircraft, in “take-off phase,” was forced to make an urgent landing after birds were sucked into one of the engines.

The plane then hit a van on a road ringing the airport.

Some reports claimed the runway may have been slippery after winter storms.

The plane belonged to Regional, an Air France subsidiary serving 20 cities in France and 30 in Europe.

Regional, started up in 2001, has a fleet of some 65 aircraft.

The aircraft was preparing to fly from Pau to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris when the accident occurred.