Associated Press
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

MIAMI, Dec. 26 -- A commercial jet carrying British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family missed a runway exit and struck some lights after landing at Miami International Airport on Tuesday. The plane was not damaged and no injures were reported, officials said.

British Airways Flight 209 from London ran over a couple of airfield lights after landing around 6:15 p.m., but it did not leave the pavement and it taxied to the gate under its own power, airport spokesman Marc Henderson said.

The plane stopped just past the official end of the runway, said Laura Brown, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman.

"It landed safely on the runway. It slowed down. It was going at taxiway speed, and they just missed a turn," Brown said.

Blair was among the 343 passengers on the plane, but no additional information about his trip was available, U.S. Secret Service spokeswoman Kim Bruce said. Blair receives Secret Service protection when he lands in the United States.

A Downing Street official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the prime minister and his family were not hurt.

He did not say where the Blairs were going, but Blair and his family have taken vacations in Bermuda.

The pilot stopped the plane at the end of the runway because he could not see the lights to the taxiway, British Airways spokesman John Lampl said.

"Apparently they're doing some resurfacing work and relighting, so the lighting was poor. Just to err on the side of caution, the captain decided to stop at the end of the runway and called the tower," Lampl said.

The taxiway lighting met FAA standards, Brown said. She added that the FAA would look into the incident, but she did not know whether there would be a formal investigation.