The pilots of the Delta plane that skidded off a runway at LaGuardia Airport last week during a snowstorm have told investigators that automatic systems designed to slow down the plane were not working properly . They said the plane 's automatic brakes were set to 'max , ' but they did not sense any deceleration as the aircraft veered toward Flushing Bay , according to the National Transportation Safety Board . The flight crew also said the runway appeared 'all white ' - covered in snow - when they broke out of the overcast sky and glimpsed it just moments before landing . Scroll down for video . Malfunction ? Pilots of a Delta flight that skidded of a runway at LaGuardia during a snowstorm last week ( pictured ) have told investigators the breaks were not working . The plane 's automatic spoilers - flaps on top of the wings that reduce lift and slow the plane down - did not deploy , but the first officer deployed them manually . The captain also reported he was unable to prevent the airplane from drifting to the left . Investigators said the plane was flying on autopilot until it was 230 feet off the ground , indicating a fairly routine landing until the very end . Delta Flight 1086 from Atlanta was carrying 127 passengers , including two lap children , plus five crew members , when it slid off the runway Thursday and skidded about 2,000 feet along a normally grassy area alongside the runway that was covered in snow . Close call : The flight crew also said the runway appeared 'all white ' - covered in snow - when they broke out of the overcast sky and glimpsed it just moments before landing . The nose of the plane ended up over the water . For the last 940 of those feet , the plane 's left wing was cutting through and destroying the airport 's chain-link perimeter fence , investigators said . The aircraft came to rest with its nose leaning perilously on a berm that separates the runway from icy Flushing Bay . The plane suffered damage to the left wing , including a punctured fuel tank that caused a leak . The belly of the aircraft from the nose to the first passenger door and the nose itself also were damaged , investigators said . Since Delta took ownership of the MD-88 plane on Dec. 30 , 1987 , it had taken off and landed 54,865 times , investigators said . Spread out over the past 28 years , that means the plane flew an average of 5.5 flights a day . The MD-88 was a workhorse of U.S. domestic airlines for the past three decades , favored on short , frequent routes . This particular one had logged more than 71,000 hours - or nearly 3,000 full days - in the air . Investigators are also examining an identical MD-88 plane that landed at LaGuardia 13 minutes before the botched landing as a baseline for evaluating the data from Flight 1086 . Veered : The aircraft came to rest with its nose leaning perilously on a berm that separates the runway from icy Flushing Bay . The flight from Atlanta was carrying 127 passengers at the time .
Pilots told the National Transporation Safety Board brakes were set to 'max ' However they did not sense any deceleration when the aircraft lost control . First officer apparently had to deploy automatic spoilers himself . Veered off towards Flushing Bay with its nose hanging over the water . Comment: