What happened
On 22 December 2009, an American Airlines flight traveling from Miami to Kingston, Jamaica, experienced a runway excursion during landing. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-823 registered as N977AN, was operating under instrument flight rules and arrived at Norman Manley International Airport at 22:22 EST. The arrival occurred during nighttime hours under instrument meteorological conditions, characterized by heavy rainfall and a 14-knot left quartering tailwind.
During the approach, the crew utilized the instrument landing system and transitioned to visual references approximately two miles from the runway. The aircraft made contact with runway 12 at roughly 4,100 feet into the 8,911-foot-long strip. Due to the remaining runway length being insufficient to decelerate the plane, the aircraft overran the threshold at a ground speed of 62 knots. The aircraft exited the runway perimeter, passed through a fence, and crossed over a road before coming to a halt on sand dunes and rocks near the Caribbean Sea.
While no fire occurred after the impact, the structural damage to the aircraft was extensive. The fuselage split into three separate pieces, the left landing gear collapsed, and the right engine and landing gear were detached from the airframe. Additionally, the right wing fuel tanks ruptured, spilling fuel onto the beach.
Findings
Of the 154 people on board, 14 passengers sustained serious injuries, while the remaining 134 passengers experienced minor injuries or no injuries at all. The flight crew and cabin crew members were not seriously injured and were able to assist with the evacuation of the passengers.