No injuries after plane headed for runway at Sonoma County airport drives off pavement, gets stuck in dirt

A plane set to take off from the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport on Sunday was driven off the pavement on the way to a runway, prompting the evacuation of passengers on board, officials said.

There were 109 passengers and six staff members on the Avelo Airlines flight headed for the Hollywood Burbank airport in Los Angeles County, according to an airline spokeswoman.

Nobody on the plane was injured in the incident, which happened at about 3 p.m., said Jon Stout, manager of the airport northwest of Santa Rosa.

The pilot was turning from a taxiway to a runway and cut a corner too tight, Stout said.

Two of the plane’s wheels were driven into the dirt and got stuck, Stout said.

The plane, a Boeing 737-800, was towed out of the dirt by aircraft tugs, which followed the airport’s protocol for such incidents, according to Stout.

Passengers got off the plane and were taken back to the airport terminal on two Sonoma County Airport Express buses.

“We are working with our customers to accommodate them on alternative flights to (the Hollywood Burbank airport) this evening and tomorrow morning,” Avelo spokeswoman Courtney Goff said Sunday in an email.

Goff said the airline is investigating what caused the incident.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.