On Thursday, the campaign plane carrying Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Mike Pence skidded off the runway after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The rented Boeing 737 was carrying 37 passengers and crew members as it touched down on a wet and windy New York evening.  No injuries have been reported.

The positive resolution to a potentially disastrous event can be attributed to the Engineered Material Arresting System located at the end of the runway, which is designed to prevent a runaway airplane from careening into the roads, buildings, and bodies of water commonly found near many airports.

EMAS is made up of massive blocks of material designed to collapse as the wheels of an airplane roll over it, sinking the plane into the runway and bringing it to a safe and gradual stop. The system is designed to be able to stop aircraft traveling at speeds up to 80 mph.

According to the FAA, more than 60 US airports — including JFK and LaGuardia in New York and O'Hare in Chicago — have installed the technology.