Additional info, including first-hand account from grateful passenger...

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/n...,3486523.story

On the contrary, EMAS is designed to cause minimal damage to the aircraft and allow easier extraction than getting stuck in the mud. If you take a look at this link which has pictures of all the EMAS 'traps' to date, you will see that none of them had the gear collapse:

EMAS Fact Sheet

I don't know why they veered off at the end. I assume that he was hoping he could make a high speed turn onto the run-up area of TWY E. There was strong right to left crosswind and maybe he was just drifting that way. However, if he made a conscious decision and opted to take it into the mud in order to cause less damage, then he made a very risky bet based on lack of knowledge about EMAS especially considering Cicero Ave is just a few feet away.

Got the registrations number is N799SW. Anyone who flown on this plane before?

Should have said I would have thought it more likely to have caused the front landing gear to collapse. I certainly wasn't suggesting that the pilot purposely chose to run into the grass vs. the EMAS system.

Here's an FAA circular on the topic:

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...0_5220_22a.pdf

Southwst is getting really good at this!

I'm glad that the pax thinks that the pilot saved their life. However, the truth will have to be investigated. Something went terribly wrong.

Yes, sure they did. They are very lucky to be alive today. None of the passengers is being killed or fatalilities, too. None of the passengers taken to locals hospitals. Great job to WN pilots!! ^^^^

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt for now and say that they attempted to make the turn at a semi reasonable speed then hydroplaned into the mud. Of course, I could be totally wrong.

Also, I've noticed people making comments about the safety of BUR and MDW around the internet yet nobody seems to make mention of SNA: the shortest runway in the US that sees lots of full size jets (yes there is EYW, but that sees like 3 per day?)

Similar occurrence at Burbank
 

20-something years ago. Airplane ended up on a Burbank city street, blocking traffic.

It happened only eleven years ago; the plane barely missed a gas station across the street from the end of the runway.

NTSB Aviation Accident Brief - Southwest Airlines Flight 1455