JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on charter plane traveling from Cuba to north Florida that ended up in a river at ends of runaway (all times local): 6:20 p.m. Authorities say the Boeing 737 that rolled off a runaway at a military base in Florida and ended up in a river has had no prior accidents. National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Bruce Landsberg said Saturday that investigators will examine the aircraft, the environment and human factors in trying to discover why the plane rolled into the St. Johns River after landing at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Landsberg says the plane hit a seawall made of stones Friday night before coming to a rest in the river. The pavement on the runway wasn't grooved and Landsberg says investigators will look at how that played a role with reported heavy rain during the landing. He said grooves can help the water flow off the pavement more quickly. Landsberg says the fact that the plane is partially in water presents a challenge. ___ 6:10 p.m. Authorities say a 3-month baby was the only passenger hospitalized after a chartered jet ran into a river at a north Florida military base, and the infant was only admitted for observation as a precautionary measure. National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Bruce Landsberg said at a news conference Saturday that 22 of the plane's 143 passengers and crew sought medical treatment but only the baby was kept at a hospital in an abundance of caution. The military chartered plane landed hard in a thunderstorm Friday night at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, carrying passengers from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The aircraft rolled off the runway and into the St. Johns River. Everyone onboard survived and there were no serious injuries. The base's commander says the infant was expected to be released from the hospital on Saturday. ___ 5:45 p.m. Authorities say rescuers who searched for pets aboard a chartered jet that ran off a runway at a Florida military base and into a river didn't see any pet carrier above the water line. Story continues Capt. Michael Connor, Naval Air Station Jacksonville's commander, said Saturday that the Boeing 737 carried two cats and a dog. He said the animals have yet to be found on the aircraft. Connor says rescuers looked in the cargo area after the plane ended up in the St. Johns River but saw no crates and heard no animal noises. When they returned later, they didn't see any pet carriers above water. The military chartered plane landed hard Friday night in a thunderstorm, carrying passengers from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Everyone onboard survived and there were no serious injuries. ___ 3:30 p.m. Federal investigators have taken possession of the flight data recorder from the chartered jet that ran off a military base runway and into the St. Johns River in north Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted a photo of an investigator holding the orange recorder that was recovered Saturday from the Boeing 737 that overran the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville the previous night. The military charter landed hard in a thunderstorm carrying 143 people from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Everyone onboard was alive and there were no serious injuries. The plane remains stuck in shallow water. Marine units from local sheriff and fire departments joined first responders from the naval air station in helping passengers and crew who had lined up on the plane's wings to safety. ___ 1:20 p.m. Containment booms have been placed around the jet that ran off a runway and into the St. Johns River in Florida to minimize fuel from spilling into the waterway. Associated Press journalists took a boat Saturday to the spot at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and can report that the chemical stench of oil and fuel is pungent. The Boeing 737 is stuck in the riverbed, with the bottom of the fuselage under water and the plane's nose cone missing. The military charter landed hard in a thunderstorm carrying 143 people from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Everyone onboard was alive and there were no serious injuries. Capt. Michael Connor, the base's commander, says they're doing everything to contain the fuel. ___ 11:15 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board says a team of 16 investigators will determine what caused a plane travelling from Cuba to north Florida to end up in a river with 143 people onboard. The federal transportation safety agency tweeted Saturday that the investigators were arriving at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. None of the people onboard were critically injured during Friday night's landing, although some were taken to hospitals. The cause of the crash has not been announced. The plane remains stuck in shallow water. Marine units from the sheriff's department and Jacksonville Fire Rescue joined first responders from the naval air station in helping passengers and crew who had lined up on the plane's wings to safety. ___ 9:15 a.m. Officials at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville say they still haven't been able to retrieve pets from the cargo hold of a plane went off a runway and ended up in the St. Johns River. A navy statement early Saturday says safety issues have prevented rescuers from retrieving the animals aboard the chartered Boeing 737, which carried 143 people Friday night from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The statement offers "hearts and prayers" to the pet owners. None of the people onboard were critically injured, although some were taken to hospitals. The cause of the crash has not been announced. The plane remains stuck in shallow water. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have been dispatched to determine what happened. ___ 11:30 p.m. Officials say a charter plane traveling from Cuba to north Florida ended up in a river at the end of a runway. A Naval Air Station Jacksonville news release says a Boeing 737 arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, crashed into the St. Johns River Friday night. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office posted on Twitter that a marine unit responded to assist. The plane was in shallow water and not submerged.<doc-sep>A mural of George Floyd is shown in the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community members continue preparations during the third day in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with multiple counts of murder in the death of George Floyd. 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(Photo by CARLOS OSORIO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 'Never seen levels like this': Union president on airline passenger misconduct Memorial Day weekend will bring rain and cool air for much of the East (CNN) — A civilian defense attorney aboard the military-chartered Boeing 737 that skidded into a Florida river said the landing “didn’t feel right.” Cheryl Bormann spoke to CNN’s Don Lemon as she waited with the rest of the passengers rescued following the incident. Seven crew members and 136 passengers were on the plane flying from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into Naval Air Station Jacksonville. There were no fatalities, but the Jacksonville Fire Rescue said 21 people were taken to local hospitals. Bormann described a scene of fear, confusion and people coming together to help one another. The plane arrived four hours late in Guantanamo Bay, and those getting off warned them that the air-conditioning was broken, she said. “They were pretty universally miserable, so none of us were looking forward to getting onto the plane,” Bormann said. “We got on anyway.” They flew through a storm of thunder and lightning, but the frightening part came when the plane came in for a landing. ’The pilot was trying to control it’ “The plane … literally hit the ground and then it bounced. It was clear that the pilot did not have complete control of the plane because it bounced some more, it swerved and tilted left and right,” she said. “The pilot was trying to control it but couldn’t, and then all of a sudden it smashed into something.” The plane skidded from the runway into the St. Johns River at 9:40 p.m. ET, but did not submerge. Some oxygen masks deployed, and overhead bins opened up and sent belongings spilling out. Bormann said her identification, cash, credit cards, computers, phone and passport were sent flying to the seats behind her so she could not retrieve them. The passengers onboard didn’t know what happened, she said. And they didn’t know where they were. For all they knew, Bormann said, they could have been in a river or they could have been in an ocean. People weren’t screaming, Bormann said, because the flight staff worked quickly to give direction. Everyone on the aircraft helped one another to put on their life vests and then climb out onto the wing, into the water, onto the raft and over to the safety of land. Soldiers, grandparents and children The plane was carrying military personnel headed home, on vacation, or to get medical care. It included families, civilians, grandparents and children – all connected to the military. There were also pets checked in the luggage compartment below. Bormann said they have not been rescued, and they likely didn’t make it. Fire rescue officials used a cable to pull an inflated raft with people to a nearby pier. Naval Air Station Jacksonville said pets have not been rescued due to safety reasons. “Our hearts and prayers go out to those pet owners during this terrible incident,” it said in a Facebook post. Many people are asking about the pets aboard the aircraft that skidded off the runway into the St. Johns River last... Posted by NAS Jacksonville on Saturday, May 4, 2019 After the rescue, Bormann said, border control was processing the travelers.<doc-sep>A Boeing 737 arriving in Florida from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has slid from the runway during a storm, coming to a halt in the St. Johns River. Passengers safely accounted for as plane lands in shallow water The plane came to a rest in shallow water and with no apparent injuries according to CNN. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed the plane was “not submerged” and that all passengers were safe. #JSO Marine Unit was called to assist @NASJax_ in reference to a commercial airplane in shallow water. The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for. pic.twitter.com/4n1Fyu5nTS — Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) May 4, 2019 A Jacksonville Naval Air Station spokesperson, where the plane was landing, put the incident at 9.40pm ET on Friday. The plane was traveling from the US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The station declared at the time: “Navy security and emergency response personnel are on the scene and monitoring the situation.” Former Federal Aviation Administration inspector David Soucie responded to the incident: “The fact that they were all brought out of the aircraft safely and no one was hurt says a lot about how the crew reacted to this situation.” Jacksonville Mayor Curry had also asked for prayers while fire and rescue crews attending the scene worked. Safe landing a “miracle” The Boston Globe reports the plane was carrying 143 from the US military base and was attempting to land during a thunderstorm. Its reporting revealed passengers climbed onto the wings to be rescued “without critical injuries.” The Jacksonville Naval Air Station commanding officer Captain Michael Connor called the outcome a “miracle” adding that they “could be talking about a different story.” The Washington Post today, citing the local fire department, says 21 passengers were taken to local hospitals. And, that the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue division had conducted training on Friday with its special operations and marine units in preparation for just such an incident. Pets still to be rescued The Boeing 737 had 136 civilian and military passengers onboard plus seven crew and a number of pets. A statement this morning revealed that safety issues were preventing rescuers from getting to the animals. The latest update from Action News Jax reporter Brittney Donovan says rescuers may be unable to reach the pets until the plane is retrieved from the water. More investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were expected to arrive at noon today, with one investigator already onsite. Just got an update from @NASJax_. They are on standby until NTSB crew gets here. One investigator is onsite, others en route. PAO says they can’t try to reach pets until they get the plane out of the water. It’s not safe. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/VfOC2v7CB9 — Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) May 4, 2019 Boeing extends wishes to all involved Boeing issued a statement today extending “well wishes to all those involved” saying that the Boeing 737-800 charter flight “skidded” off the runway. The flight was operated by Miami Air International. The plane, according to the Washington Post, first flew in 2001 and is the older of six in the airline’s fleet. The same plane also became stuck in mud on a charter flight for NASCAR drivers in 2012, on take-off from Concord, NC. But, suffered no major damage at the time. Also, according to the Washington Post, citing the Weather Network, there was lightning in the area and heavy rain on the runway yesterday in Florida. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Boeing states that it is providing “technical assistance” under the direction of the NTSB as it investigates. And, that as per protocol inquiries are to be directed to the NTSB. Boeing is currently working to return its 737 MAX to service after all of the planes were grounded following the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX disaster in March 2019.<doc-sep>(CNN) — Snippets from the conversation between an air traffic controller and the pilot of a plane that slid into the St. Johns River upon landing in Jacksonville, Florida Friday night may give insight into why the aircraft landed on a different runway than planned. The military-chartered passenger plane was traveling from the Guantanamo Bay military station in Cuba and was supposed to land at Naval Air Station Jacksonville to the west into the wind, as is typical for most aircraft. But the pilots requested to instead land to the east on a different runway, NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said Sunday. While landing, the plane slid off the runway and into the shallow part of the St. Johns River, Landsberg said Saturday at a news briefing. A barrier on the runway the plane ended up landing on shortened its length from 9,000 feet to 7,800 feet, Landsberg said. Voice recordings between the pilot and the control tower suggest that there had been concern about bad weather in the area before the landing. “There appears to be some light to moderate, actually moderate to heavy precipitation on the final for runway two-eight,” the controller said in air traffic control audio posted to the streaming site liveatc.net. The pilot later offers an alternative: “Any chance … I think it looks a lot better coming from runway one-zero.” The controller tells the pilot “both runways (are) looking pretty bad, or pretty soft and showing moderate to heavy precipitation west of the airport,” but later says the “one-zero” runway “might be best.” The pilot confirms and responds: “Let’s do it.” On Friday night, there was a “weak tropical disturbance” in the area, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said. “Flying around or through areas of convection can be dangerous as it can create heavy turbulence in the air and a wet runway leading to the threat of hydroplaning upon landing,” he said. The NTSB will be investigating weather, the ungrooved runway pavement and air traffic control, as well as human aspects – including the flight and cabin crew – to determine what led to the accident. All 143 people aboard the aircraft were rescued. Twenty-one people were taken to a nearby hospital in good condition, authorities said. CNN’s Aaron Cooper, Eric Levenson, Rosa Flores and LaRell Reynolds contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
All 143 passengers and crew have escaped after a Boeing 737 plane skidded off a runway and landed in a river during a “terrifying” attempted landing at an airport in Jacksonville, Florida. [See footnote] The military-chartered Miami Air international plane was trying to land in a thunderstorm at the naval air station in Jacksonville en route from Guántanamo Bay in Cuba at around 9.40pm local time when it slid off the runway into the St Johns river, a statement from the navy airport said. Officials said the 136 passengers and seven crew were alive and accounted for after the plane ditched in shallow water. Twenty-one adults were transported to local hospitals for minor injuries but were in good condition. Officials did not immediately say what caused the plane to leave the runway. On Saturday the National Transportation Safety Board said 16 investigators were arriving to determine the cause. Emergency crews work next to a Boeing 737 aircraft arriving from Guántanamo Bay, Cuba, on 3 May. Photograph: Thomas A Higgins/AP A Boeing spokesman said Friday that the company was aware of the incident and was gathering information. The mayor of Jacksonville said on Twitter that everyone on board the flight was “alive and accounted for” but that crews were working to control jet fuel on the water. “The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for,” the Jacksonville sheriff’s office said on Twitter. Plane slides off runway into river in Jacksonville, Florida https://t.co/YPpdEyZ6zp pic.twitter.com/ACeadSy14O — CBS News (@CBSNews) May 4, 2019 A passenger on board the plane, lawyer Cheryl Bormann, told CNN in an interview that the flight, which had been four hours late in departing, made a “really hard landing” in Jacksonville amid thunder and lightning. “We came down, the plane literally hit the ground and bounced, it was clear the pilot did not have total control of the plane, it bounced again,” she said, adding that the experience was “terrifying”. Bormann said she hit her head on a plastic tray on the seat in front of her as the plane veered sideways and off the runway. “We were in the water, we couldn’t tell where we were, whether it was a river or an ocean.” Bormann described emerging from the plane onto the wing as oxygen masks deployed and smelling the jet fuel that she said was leaking into the water. Bormann, from Chicago, said that most of the passengers were connected to the military and helped each other out of their seats and onto a wing, where they were assisted after some time into a raft. The Jacksonville fire and rescue department posted on Twitter that about 90 personnel responded to the scene, adding that the department’s special operations team had trained with marine units for a similar incident earlier Friday. Later, Capt Michael Connor, the commanding officer of NAS Jacksonville, said during a news conference that passengers were a mix of civilian and military personnel. Some were staying in the area, while others were set to fly on to other parts of the country. Connor acknowledged that it could have been much worse. “I think it is a miracle,” Connor said. “We could be talking about a different story.” It wasn’t known how long it would take to remove the plane from the river, but Connor said the landing gear appeared to be resting on the river bed, making it unlikely for the aircraft to float away. He said crews began working to contain any jet fuel leaks almost immediately after securing the passengers’ safety. #JSO Marine Unit was called to assist @NASJax_ in reference to a commercial airplane in shallow water. The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for. pic.twitter.com/4n1Fyu5nTS — Jax Sheriff's Office (@JSOPIO) May 4, 2019 Miami Air international is a charter airline operating a fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Representatives for the airline could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters on Friday evening. The charter company is contracted by the military for its twice-weekly “rotator” roundtrip service between the US and Guántanamo, said Bill Dougherty, a spokesman for the Jacksonville base. It flies every Tuesday and Friday from the naval station Norfolk in Virginia to the Jacksonville air station and on to Cuba. It then flies back to Virginia with a stop again at Jacksonville, he said. The rotator service typically flies military personnel, family members, contractors and other civilians traveling from the United States to Guántanamo Bay.