An American Airlines plane originating from DC broke overshot the runway in Jamaica and broke apart. Witnesses report that the plane ran off the runway, through a fence and ended up on the beach very close to the water. There was substantial wing and engine damage and fuselage damage. The plane was carrying 148 people. About 40 were injured, some seriously.
According to the Washington Post:
The plane’s right-hand engine separated from the wing, and the landing gear on the left wing collapsed, said American spokesman Tim Smith. He said that damage was more likely a result than a cause of going off the runway. The airplane’s fuselage was also damaged, he said.
A newspaper in Jamaica reported on its Web site that about 40 people were injured and taken to a hospital in Kingston, the capital. While not confirming the figure, an airline spokesman said that as of 2:35 a.m. Wednesday none of the injuries was critical. Information Minister Daryl Vaz told the Jamaica Observer, “There are no reports of fatalities.”
Conditions at the airport were rainy and the trip down had been quite turbulent, causing beverage service to be cut off several times while in the air. One passenger described the incident as total chaos. This incident sounds like a horrible way to begin a holiday vacation. Passengers boarded at Ronald Reagan Airport and headed to Miami, The plane was full.
It was not immediately known how many of the passengers who boarded at Reagan National Airport remained on the flight after it stopped in Miami. Vaz, the information minister, told the Associated Press that most passengers were Jamaicans returning for Christmas.
Smith said many passengers who board the flight in Washington typically leave it to make other connections in Miami, which is an American Airlines hub.
Watch for an additional surcharge for “transportation to the beach”.
You are BAD, Slowpoke, 😉
I remember when I want to Jamaica, landing was a bit scary. The runway is right there off of the water, depending on which airport you were flying into.
This was at Kingston Airport I think.
At least there were no fatalities and it looks like everyone will be okay.
You should have seen the old Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong. The whole length of the runway was surrounded by water — in effect, a man-made peninsula jutting into the bay and not much wider than the runway itself.
I always felt that way about Logan field.
After seeing that plane wreck, it is truly a miracle that no one was killed.