Lifting Gear Hire Corp and Imperial Crane Services, Inc, both based in Bridgeview, IL, recently joined forces to remove Southwest Airlines flight 1248 from the intersection of West 55th St and Central Ave in Chicago after the plane skidded off a runway at Midway Airport. Imperial Crane used Lifting Gear Hire's Modulift 50 spreader beam system, a lifting solution known for its ability to accommodate awkward loads, to move the Boeing 737-700 jet.

"A spreader beam was needed to complete this task, and the Modulift system was a reliable choice," said Ricky Bohne of Imperial Crane Services, Inc, who supervised the rigging at the site. "In order to move the plane, we set the Modulift beam at 13 ft. The top rigging included 25 ft, 40,000 lb round slings, doubled. Two 12 ft round slings, each with a 66,000 lb capacity, were used on the sides. In addition, we used 50 ft, 90,000 lb round slings hooked to each landing gear for towing the plane backwards. We were able to successfully move the airplane back over the curb, through the fence, and into the hangar without creating any more damage in about 9 hours. Everything went as planned -- timely and cautiously," Bohne explained.

"The use of the Modulift beam was an integral part of moving the jet back into the hangar," said Tony Fiscelli, general manager of Lifting Gear Hire's U.S. headquarters. "Its ability to be quickly assembled and its span versatility contributed to the timely removal of the plane in this emergency situation."

Lifting Gear Hire Corp, a subsidiary of LGH Group plc, specializes in the rental, sales, service, inspection, and testing of lifting and winching equipment.