By RHONDOR DOWLAT Thursday, December 24 2009

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CRASH LAND: The badly damaged American Airlines aircraft which crash-landed along the Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica on Tuesday night....

AN AMERICAN Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight carrying 148 passengers and six crew members skidded across the runway of the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston, Jamaica on Tuesday night, crashed into a perimeter fence and onto a beach, coming to a halt about 15 feet from the sea.

The impact cracked the fuselage, crushed the left landing gear and separated both engines from the aircraft, which originated out of Ronald Reagan International Airport, Washington and headed to the NMIA from Miami International Airport.

NMIA Vice President Paul Hall announced the airport’s closure “indefinitely” and all flights were re-routed to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

Speaking with Newsday from the American Airlines head office in Texas, spokeswoman Andrea Huguely confirmed that there were no fatalities. She related that close to 90 passengers were admitted to several local hospitals including Kingston’s Public Hospital. She added that three passengers were warded for observation, while the rest were treated and discharged. Local authorities confirmed that some passengers suffered broken bones while others were suffering from trauma.

When asked if there were any Trinidad and Tobago nationals onboard the flight, Huguely replied: “At this moment we cannot reveal that kind of information or the addresses of our passengers.”

However, Jamaican Information Minister Daryl Vaz confirmed that most of the passengers were Jamaican nationals returning home to spend time with their respective families for the Christmas.

Huguely revealed that a team of six investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board was currently on their way to Jamaica to assist with investigations.

When asked if inclement weather that night in Kingston may have been the underlying reason for the crash, Huguely replied: “It is too early to speculate anything right now. The US investigators will analyse whether the plane should have been landing in such bad weather or what was the actual cause of the plane crashing but we are very lucky that there were no fatalities.”

According to a media report, heavy turbulence on the way to Jamaica had forced the crew to halt the beverage service three times before giving up and the pilot had warned of more turbulence just before landing.

Chairman of the Airports Authority of Jamaica, Mark Hart reportedly said it was possible that torrential rainfall affecting the island could have caused the pilot to experience visibility problems, “It is obviously a blessing that at this time of the year, what could have turned out to be a catastrophe, we were saved from.”

Robert Mais, a passenger who walked off without any scratches told The Gleaner, the plane, which was scheduled to depart Miami at 7 pm, was delayed for an hour. He then described it as “bumpy” and the landing as “terrible”.

“We touched down pretty fast,” Mais said, noting that he could hear the engine’s reverse throttle, though the plane didn’t seem to be slowing down. Instinctively, he said he placed his head down, “and it was over in a flash. I hardly felt the impact of the crash”.

Mais, who was seated in seat 6A in the business class section, said there was total darkness on impact, and everything was thrown out of the overhead compartments. He, however, did not realise the impact of the damage to the aircraft until he felt rain coming through the roof.

“When I came off the aircraft I saw that we were about 10-15 feet from the sea and boulders, so I walked on the beach to the road, where we were picked up by a bus.”

Passenger Natalie Morales Hendricks told NBC’s “Today” show that the plane began to skid upon landing and “before I knew it, everything was black and we were crashing.”

“Everybody’s overhead baggage started to fall. Literally, it was like being in a car accident. People were screaming, I was screaming,” she said. “There was smoke and debris everywhere,” after the plane halted, she said. “It was a mess. Everybody could smell jet fuel.