Lets hope everybody's ok.
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Jet crash lands in Puerto Rico
Posted 5/9/2004 7:35 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An American Eagle flight tipped and skidded off a runway Sunday when one of its tires blew out upon touching down at San Juan's main airport, seriously injuring at least 13 people on board, authorities said.
The incident involving American Eagle Flight 5401 happened at about 2:50 p.m. ET at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, Port Authority executive director Miguel Soto Lacourt said.
The Super ATR turboprop plane, carrying 22 passengers and four crew members from the west coast city of Mayaguez, was landing when one of the tires blew out, Soto said. The twin-engine plane, which has a capacity for 64 passengers, lost its balance and one of its wings struck the runway.
The pilot did not communicate with the control tower to request help or complain of any trouble prior to landing, Soto said.
The 13 injured, including the pilot and co-pilot, were taken to local hospitals in stable condition, he said. Others were treated at the scene for minor cuts and bruises.
Flight attendant Luis Ramirez complained of back pain after the accident.
"It was a disastrous experience but we are alive," he told Univision television as he was leaving the airport.
Some of the injured were taken out on stretchers and others wore neck braces.
The plane was tilted on its left side at an odd angle off a runway near a wooded area with dozens of emergency services vehicles at the scene. The left wing appeared to be damaged.
One of the airport's two runways was shut down but flights were arriving and taking off on the other runway. Flights were running on schedule, Soto said.
The aircraft sustained "substantial damage" but the fuselage was intact, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.
The FAA was investigating the cause of the hard landing, she said.
A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board was also expected to arrive in the U.S. Caribbean territory later Sunday, Soto said. The plane, which was manufactured in 1995, would remain on the runway until NTSB officials arrived in San Juan.
The Super ATR has never had any significant problems in the region, said Gary Ellmer, president of American Eagle in the Caribbean.
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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
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Jet crash lands in Puerto Rico
Posted 5/9/2004 7:35 PM
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An American Eagle flight tipped and skidded off a runway Sunday when one of its tires blew out upon touching down at San Juan's main airport, seriously injuring at least 13 people on board, authorities said.
The incident involving American Eagle Flight 5401 happened at about 2:50 p.m. ET at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, Port Authority executive director Miguel Soto Lacourt said.
The Super ATR turboprop plane, carrying 22 passengers and four crew members from the west coast city of Mayaguez, was landing when one of the tires blew out, Soto said. The twin-engine plane, which has a capacity for 64 passengers, lost its balance and one of its wings struck the runway.
The pilot did not communicate with the control tower to request help or complain of any trouble prior to landing, Soto said.
The 13 injured, including the pilot and co-pilot, were taken to local hospitals in stable condition, he said. Others were treated at the scene for minor cuts and bruises.
Flight attendant Luis Ramirez complained of back pain after the accident.
"It was a disastrous experience but we are alive," he told Univision television as he was leaving the airport.
Some of the injured were taken out on stretchers and others wore neck braces.
The plane was tilted on its left side at an odd angle off a runway near a wooded area with dozens of emergency services vehicles at the scene. The left wing appeared to be damaged.
One of the airport's two runways was shut down but flights were arriving and taking off on the other runway. Flights were running on schedule, Soto said.
The aircraft sustained "substantial damage" but the fuselage was intact, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.
The FAA was investigating the cause of the hard landing, she said.
A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board was also expected to arrive in the U.S. Caribbean territory later Sunday, Soto said. The plane, which was manufactured in 1995, would remain on the runway until NTSB officials arrived in San Juan.
The Super ATR has never had any significant problems in the region, said Gary Ellmer, president of American Eagle in the Caribbean.
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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
