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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. Officials say everyone on the plane was alive and accounted for.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry posted on Twitter that teams were working to control jet fuel in the water.
Officials didn’t immediately say what caused the plane to leave the runway.
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