Boeing 737 jet slides into Florida river, tried to land under heavy thunderstorm, all 136 on board safe

Boeing 737 jet slides into Florida river, tried to land under heavy thunderstorm, all 136 on board safe

A Boeing 737 commercial jet with 136 people on board slid into the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida after landing on Friday, a spokesman for Naval Air Station Jacksonville said.

A Boeing 737 is seen in the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. May 3, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media. JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF'S OFFICE /via REUTERS
Reuters
  • May 04, 2019,
  • Updated May 04, 2019, 10:34 AM IST

A Boeing 737 commercial jet with 136 people on board slid into the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida after landing on Friday, a spokesman for Naval Air Station Jacksonville said.

There were no reports of fatalities but local WOKV-TV that at least two people suffered minor injuries and that the plane was attempting to land during a heavy thunderstorm.

The flight arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay went into the river at the end of the runway at about 9:40 p.m. local time, the air station said.

Also Read: Experts to review how Boeing 737 Max's flight control system was approved by US Federal Aviation Administration

The mayor of Jacksonville, Lenny Curry, 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. Curry said in a separate tweet that U.S. President Donald Trump had called him to offer help.

"The plane was not submerged. Every person is alive and accounted for," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on Twitter.

The sheriff's tweet was accompanied by two photographs showing the plane bearing the logo of Miami Air International resting in shallow water and fully intact.

Also Read: Boeing cuts production of 737 Max jets to focus on fixing glitches

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.

A Boeing spokesman said that the company was aware of the incident and was gathering information.

Also Read: Boeing 737 MAX: American Airlines to cancel 115 flights daily in coming months

Read more!
RECOMMENDED