Kingston, JAMAICAAn American Airlines flight from Miami overshot the runway during a heavy rainstorm in Kingston, Jamaica late last night. While there were no deaths, the 154 people aboard on American Airlines Flight 331 endured a rough landing. More than forty people were injured, some seriously.
According to reports filed by the Associated Press (AP), the Boeing 737-800 was carrying 148 passengers and a crew of six. Flight 331 had originated at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC and served as a connecting flight for passengers at Miami International Airport heading to Jamaica for the holidays.
The plane took off from Miami at 8:52 last night and encountered severe turbulence during the flight to the island nation. One passenger reported that the crew had to halt beverage service—before finally giving up entirely—due to extreme turbulence. The eastern Jamaica regions have endured heavy rains over the last four days.
Passengers reported that the pilot warned of the potential for additional turbulence as the plane approached Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. After touching down at 10:22pm, the plane overshot the runway, skidded across a road and came to rest no more than 10 feet from the Caribbean Sea. Officials said that an upward slope to the sand was apparently the only thing preventing the jet from sliding into the water entirely.
Jamaica's Information Minister Daryl Vaz told the Associated Press that a total of 44 people were taken to nearby hospitals with broken bones and back injuries. Many of the injuries amounted to cuts and bruises. One person sustained a cut on his head from carry-on baggage that had fallen from overhead bins. Four people reported serious injuries.
The plane was heavily damaged, according to a spokesperson at American Airlines headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The Boeing 737-800's fuselage was cracked, the engines separated from the plane on impact and the left landing gear had collapsed. Officials said engines are designed to separate from the wings in such a situation for safety reasons.
The airport was closed overnight due to concerns that the tail of the large airliner might be hindering visibility for other planes. The closure left some 400 passengers waiting for their flights to be cleared for takeoff. Norman Manley International has since re-opened.
The Christmas season has been hampered by bad weather, mostly along the eastern US with record snowfalls and high winds, stranding people for days attempting to get home for the holidays. Heavy rains have been pelting Jamaica for some days but are expected to dissipate tomorrow. Authorities said the rains were so severe a 7-year-old girl had been washed away, and a bus accident caused by the heavy rainfall led to the deaths of two people.