March 8 (Reuters) – The Delta Airlines plane that skidded off a runway at New York LaGuardia airport last week may have had brake problems, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that cited two unnamed sources familiar with the federal probe.

Based on information from the “black box” and interviews with the pilots of Delta Flight 1086, federal investigators are focusing on the brake systems since other aspects of the touchdown were working as expected, the report said.

The investigation is also looking at the condition of the runway and the impact of snow and ice.

Air traffic safety experts cautioned the investigation is still in its early stages, according to the report.

The Boeing Co MD-88 aircraft was en route from Atlanta on Thursday and slid on the tarmac and crashed through a fence, barely stopping short of Flushing Bay.

Several of the 127 passengers and five crew members suffered minor injuries after the plane skidded off runway 13, it’s nose hanging out over the edge of the bay.

Representatives for Delta and the National Transportation Safety Board could not immediately be reached.

(Reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York)

• Transportation
• Delta Airlines
• Wall Street Journal