Missouri airport reopens after AA regional jet pulled from mud

Flights are operating again at Missouri's Columbia Regional Airport after a stuck American Airlines regional jet was pulled out of the mud overnight.

The aircraft become stuck Monday afternoon when part of the aircraft's rear landing gear left the taxiway pavement and got mired in a grassy area as the plane was taxiing. The incident forced the airport to halt all flights because of the aircraft's proximity to the runway.

The aircraft – a Bombardier CRJ 700 regional jet operated by American affiliate Envoy Air -- was removed from the taxiway around 4 a.m. CT Tuesday morning, the city of Columbia says in a statement.

"Columbia Regional Airport opened to commercial and general aviation traffic between 5 and 6 am on Tuesday, May 12," Columbia Regional Airport says in a message posted to its Facebook page. "We appreciate your patience while the aircraft involved in Monday's incident was removed."

No flights had operated at the airport since about 2 p.m. local time Monday. American's website showed its Columbia flights were scheduled to operate today, though some were listed as delayed.

American is the only carrier serving the airport, which is located near the college city of Columbia (the University of Missouri) and the Missouri state capital of Jefferson City. From Columbia, American flies to its hubs at Chicago O'Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth.

The Missourian newspaper noted it's the second time in about a month that an aircraft has become stuck in the mud at Columbia. The most recent incident occurred April 4.