[Peter Paul Media] — An American Airlines [AA] Boeing 737-800 jetliner overshot the only runway at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, late Tuesday during a flight from Miami, the airline confirmed.
Flight 331 originated from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport via Miami International Airport and then onto Jamaica where it crashed. The flight touched down at 10:23 p.m. one hour and twenty minutes behind schedule, according to the FlightStats.com website.
“Preliminary reports indicate there are no serious injuries. The aircraft was carrying 148 passengers and a crew of six,” AA said in a statement.
The jetliner touched down in heavy rain, the Jamaica Observer reported. “The plane crashed and broke almost in front of me,” passenger Naomi Palmer was quoted as saying by local media.
Jamaican Information Minister Daryl Vaz said “injured passengers have been taken to the Kingston Public Hospital.” Vaz added that 29 passengers were transported to hospital.
The aircraft, registered N977AN, was delivered to the airline in 2001, FAA records showed. Norman Manley International Airport is Jamaica’s main international airport and serves fourteen airlines, including AA.
American Airlines said it would “not speculate as to possible causes of the incident” and that the airline “is in direct contact with officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration and is cooperating fully with appropriate authorities.”
Peter Paul Media 