American Airlines Flight 331
Encyclopedia
American Airlines
Flight 331 was a scheduled international flight from Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC to Kingston, Jamaica
, via Miami, carrying 148 passengers and six crew, which overran the runway during a landing hampered by poor weather. The plane continued on the ground outside the airport perimeter and broke apart causing injuries.
Factors contributing to the crash include the speed of the aircraft upon landing and the plane landing half-way down the airport runway. It is known that a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747
successfully landed at the airport under very similar conditions just before Flight 331.
, registration N977AN. The aircraft was msn 29550 and made its first flight on 30 November 2001. The aircraft made its first flights under registration N1786B and was delivered to American Airlines on 20 December 2001.
, Washington, D.C.
, with a stopover at Miami International Airport
, Miami, Florida
. At 22:22 local time
(03:22, 23 December UTC
), the Boeing 737-823
skidded during landing on runway 12 and overran the pavement, sustaining serious damage. Heavy rain was reported at the time. After the accident, a special weather report was issued.
Some passengers indicated cabin service was suspended several times during the flight, before being cancelled outright due to turbulence; others report the jet may have landed long on the runway.
It was also announced that some of the airport's approach lights were not working at the time of the accident. Jamaican officials downplayed the role of the malfunctioning lights in the crash, noting that aircrews had been notified and that the actual runway was properly lit. The ground-based navigation aids were evaluated by a check aircraft after the accident and were determined to be functioning normally.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the accident, with the entire fuselage fracturing forward and aft of the wing, one wing losing an engine and the other its winglet
tip, and the nose section being crushed. The landing gear failed and put the aircraft on its belly. Its momentum carried it through the perimeter fence at freeway speeds, and across Norman Manley Highway before finally coming to rest, upright within meters of Kingston's outer harbor
and the open Caribbean Sea
. The 737 was damaged beyond economic repair.
An investigation into the accident has been launched. The US National Transportation Safety Board
has sent a team to assist the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority
officials. American Airlines
has also sent a crash team to assist other investigators.
Later reports showed the crew had contacted Jamaica Air Traffic Control to request the Instrument Landing System approach for Runway 12, the designated runway broadcasted by the Automatic Terminal Information Service for arrivals that night.
They were, however, advised of tailwind conditions on Runway 12 and offered a circling approach for landing on Runway 30.
"The crew repeated their request for Runway 12 and were subsequently cleared to land on that runway with the controller further advising the crew that the runway was wet."
Jamaican Director General of Civil Aviation Col. Oscar Derby, stated in the week following the accident, that the jet touched down about halfway down the 8910 feet (2,715.8 m) runway. He also noted that the 737-800 is equipped with a head-up display. Other factors being investigated include "tailwinds, and a rain soaked runway;" the runway in question was not equipped with rain-dispersing grooves common at larger airports. The aircraft held a relatively heavy fuel load at the time of landing; it was carrying enough fuel for a roundtrip flight back to the US.
The FDR later revealed that the aircraft touched down some 4100 feet (1,249.7 m) down the 8910 feet (2,715.8 m) long runway. Normally touchdown would be between 1000 feet (304.8 m) and 1500 feet (457.2 m). The aircraft was still travelling 72 miles per hour (115.9 km/h) when it departed the end of the runway. The aircraft landed with a 16 miles per hour (25.7 km/h) tailwind, just within its limit of 17 miles per hour (27.4 km/h).
After the crash it was announced American Airlines was involved in an FAA review of company landing procedures following three landing incidents in two weeks; in the other two instances plane wingtips touched the ground during landing.
There were no types of injuries reported.
Reports from Jamaica indicate that as of December 28, most passenger and crew property was yet to be returned due to the investigation; American Airlines provided each passenger $5,000 to compensate for the lengthy quarantine of baggage.
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
Flight 331 was a scheduled international flight from Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC to Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, via Miami, carrying 148 passengers and six crew, which overran the runway during a landing hampered by poor weather. The plane continued on the ground outside the airport perimeter and broke apart causing injuries.
Factors contributing to the crash include the speed of the aircraft upon landing and the plane landing half-way down the airport runway. It is known that a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747
Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
successfully landed at the airport under very similar conditions just before Flight 331.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-823Boeing 737 Next Generation
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
, registration N977AN. The aircraft was msn 29550 and made its first flight on 30 November 2001. The aircraft made its first flights under registration N1786B and was delivered to American Airlines on 20 December 2001.
Accident
The flight originated at Ronald Reagan Washington National AirportRonald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, with a stopover at Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. At 22:22 local time
UTC-5
UTC−05:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −05.This offset is used in the Eastern Time Zone during standard time and in the Central Time Zone during Daylight Saving Time ....
(03:22, 23 December UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
), the Boeing 737-823
Boeing 737 Next Generation
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
skidded during landing on runway 12 and overran the pavement, sustaining serious damage. Heavy rain was reported at the time. After the accident, a special weather report was issued.
Some passengers indicated cabin service was suspended several times during the flight, before being cancelled outright due to turbulence; others report the jet may have landed long on the runway.
It was also announced that some of the airport's approach lights were not working at the time of the accident. Jamaican officials downplayed the role of the malfunctioning lights in the crash, noting that aircrews had been notified and that the actual runway was properly lit. The ground-based navigation aids were evaluated by a check aircraft after the accident and were determined to be functioning normally.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the accident, with the entire fuselage fracturing forward and aft of the wing, one wing losing an engine and the other its winglet
Winglet
Wingtip devices are usually intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft. There are several types of wingtip devices, and though they function in different manners, the intended effect is always to reduce the aircraft's drag by partial recovery of the tip vortex energy...
tip, and the nose section being crushed. The landing gear failed and put the aircraft on its belly. Its momentum carried it through the perimeter fence at freeway speeds, and across Norman Manley Highway before finally coming to rest, upright within meters of Kingston's outer harbor
Kingston Harbour
-External links:**Photos:...
and the open Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The 737 was damaged beyond economic repair.
Response and investigation
Although the airport was closed after the accident, delaying about 400 travelers, it later re-opened with a reduced runway length available due to the tail section wreckage. Larger flights were diverted to Montego Bay's Sangster International Airport for two days.An investigation into the accident has been launched. The US National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
has sent a team to assist the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority
Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority
The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority of Jamaica. It has its headquarters in Kingston....
officials. American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
has also sent a crash team to assist other investigators.
Later reports showed the crew had contacted Jamaica Air Traffic Control to request the Instrument Landing System approach for Runway 12, the designated runway broadcasted by the Automatic Terminal Information Service for arrivals that night.
They were, however, advised of tailwind conditions on Runway 12 and offered a circling approach for landing on Runway 30.
"The crew repeated their request for Runway 12 and were subsequently cleared to land on that runway with the controller further advising the crew that the runway was wet."
Jamaican Director General of Civil Aviation Col. Oscar Derby, stated in the week following the accident, that the jet touched down about halfway down the 8910 feet (2,715.8 m) runway. He also noted that the 737-800 is equipped with a head-up display. Other factors being investigated include "tailwinds, and a rain soaked runway;" the runway in question was not equipped with rain-dispersing grooves common at larger airports. The aircraft held a relatively heavy fuel load at the time of landing; it was carrying enough fuel for a roundtrip flight back to the US.
The FDR later revealed that the aircraft touched down some 4100 feet (1,249.7 m) down the 8910 feet (2,715.8 m) long runway. Normally touchdown would be between 1000 feet (304.8 m) and 1500 feet (457.2 m). The aircraft was still travelling 72 miles per hour (115.9 km/h) when it departed the end of the runway. The aircraft landed with a 16 miles per hour (25.7 km/h) tailwind, just within its limit of 17 miles per hour (27.4 km/h).
After the crash it was announced American Airlines was involved in an FAA review of company landing procedures following three landing incidents in two weeks; in the other two instances plane wingtips touched the ground during landing.
Passenger details
According to the U.S. State Department, 76 of the passengers on board were Americans.There were no types of injuries reported.
Reports from Jamaica indicate that as of December 28, most passenger and crew property was yet to be returned due to the investigation; American Airlines provided each passenger $5,000 to compensate for the lengthy quarantine of baggage.
See also
- Air India Express Flight 812Air India Express Flight 812Air India Express Flight 812 was a scheduled passenger service from Dubai to Mangalore which at around 01:00 UTC on 22 May 2010, overshot the runway on landing, fell over a cliff and caught fire, spreading wreckage across the surrounding hillside...
- American Airlines Flight 1420American Airlines Flight 1420American Airlines Flight 1420 was a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Little Rock National Airport in USA. On June 1, 1999, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 overran the runway upon landing in Little Rock and crashed...
- Air France Flight 358Air France Flight 358Air France Flight 358, a flight from Paris, France, to Toronto, Canada, using an Airbus A340 airliner, departed Paris without incident at 11:53 UTC 2 August 2005, later touching down on runway 24L-06R at Toronto Pearson International Airport at 20:01 UTC...
- Caribbean Airlines Flight 523Caribbean Airlines Flight 523Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 was a flight from New York to Georgetown, Guyana with a stopover in Port of Spain, Trinidad on 30 July 2011. The flight was under command of Captain Fareed Dean, 51, with 25 years of experience and First Officer Jason Naipaul, 23...
- Henan Airlines Flight 8387Henan Airlines Flight 8387Henan Airlines Flight 8387 was a flight from Harbin Taiping International Airport to the new Yichun Lindu Airport, both located in Heilongjiang province, China. On the night of August 24, 2010 it crashed on approach to Yichun Lindu with 91 passengers and 5 crew members on board...
- TAM Airlines Flight 3054TAM Airlines Flight 3054TAM Airlines Flight 3054 was an Airbus A320 airliner, registration PR-MBK, operating as a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Porto Alegre and São Paulo, Brazil, which crashed upon landing during rain in São Paulo on July 17, 2007...
External links
- Press releases regarding Flight 331 from American Airlines
- Jamaica Civil Aviation AuthorityJamaica Civil Aviation AuthorityThe Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority is the civil aviation authority of Jamaica. It has its headquarters in Kingston....
- American Airlines Flight 331 Accident Investigation Update." August 31, 2010.
- American Airlines Flight 331 Accident Investigation Update. January 5, 2010.