Iranian passenger plane slides off runway into highway, passengers safe

A Caspian Airlines plane slid off the runway onto a highway on landing at an airport in southwestern Iran Monday, but all passengers were evacuated without injury, Iranian state media reported. Some other Iranian media outlets reported 135 passengers and 7 crew members were on board but there was no official confirmation. IRNA, quoting local aviation officials, said a technical issue delayed the plane's landing which caused the accident. Iranian media reported that the pilot was unable to deploy the landing gear, adding that the incident was being investigated. Photographs of the aircraft show registration number EP-CPZ, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 built in 1994. An unverified video showed an evacuation of passengers from the plane sitting in the middle of a highway in Mahshahr. <br/>