AA in Jamaica

[JMACK]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/12/2 ... maica.html

[Finn47]

Looks like a writeoff, I´m afraid.

http://avherald.com/h?article=424a11b1&opt=0

[ywgflyboy]

Low approaches into those beach airports are quite beautiful but I always raise a brow when I consider the severity an overshoot could be when there is little more than a few meters to the ocean!

[macbainz1]

There was another overshoot in UK as well

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/gla ... 427830.stm

[CAL]

its not a good spot to overrun..not very soft...hopefully everyone makes it home for christmas.

[Willis Nigh]

No cup no broke, no coffee no trow way.

[Panama Jack]

While details on the American Airlines Boeing 737-800 overrun at Kingston remain sketchy, meteorological data shows poor weather conditions during arrival.

American's timetable shows flight AA331's scheduled arrival time is 21:10, but the carrier says the aircraft landed at 21:22CST, equating to 22:22 local.

Meteorological information from Norman Manley International Airport indicated heavy rain and possible thunderstorm activity at this time.

The airport has a single runway, designated 12/30, which has a length of 2,716m (8,910ft) but its virtually-offshore location - on a thin strip of land south of Jamaica - leaves little overrun margin at either end.

There is no confirmation of which runway the aircraft was using. While there is an instrument landing system for runway 12, the weather data indicates that this would have required landing with a tail wind.

NOTAM information, dated today, shows that the airport has restated the runway distances available to aircraft, and introduced a displaced threshold on runway 30.

American states that two of the 148 passengers were admitted to hospital for observation, but all others have been released. The jet, arriving from Miami, was also carrying a crew of six.

Damage to the 737 is substantial. Its fuselage has fractured aft of the wing, its right-hand CFM International CFM56 engine has separated and the left wing-tip has snapped.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... errun.html


Just wondering-- is that trash on the beach or airplane bits, pieces and interior piliffered by locals overnight?

[JL]

By the looks of the militaryesque folks standing in front on the aircraft surrounded by yellow ribbon, I hardly think it is remnants of pilfering locals.

[yycflyguy]

Come on Jack, you had the "pleasure" of flying into this airport. Garbage and litter everywhere.

Low approaches into those beach airports are quite beautiful but I always raise a brow when I consider the severity an overshoot could be when there is little more than a few meters to the ocean!

Kingston is a lot of things. Beautiful aint one of them.

[CAL]

trash...its the east coast and the trades bring in huge amounts of garbage..you would be amazed how much plastic is floating in the oceans...
I fly into KIN all the time with a 737-300...the approach lights for 12 have been out for ages and we have been complaining about it but nothing is ever done...and the only ILS is to 12 I think...with the bulk of the weather to the SE of the airport at the time and the blue mountains just to the north... runway 12 would have been the best choice..pending what the winds were ofcourse, but it is common for Kingston to have 12 as the active even though the winds favour 30..I have no idea what the winds were at the time...but it would not surprise me that most arrivals last night were using the ILS to 12...I will also add that the runway lighting is also poor in my opinion...anyway I am just glad that everyone got out and there was no fire...

[yycflyguy]

trash...its the east coast and the trades bring in huge amounts of garbage..you would be amazed how much plastic is floating in the oceans...
I fly into KIN all the time with a 737-300...the approach lights for 12 have been out for ages and we have been complaining about it but nothing is ever done...and the only ILS is to 12 I think...with the bulk of the weather to the SE of the airport at the time and the blue mountains just to the north... runway 12 would have been the best choice..pending what the winds were ofcourse, but it is common for Kingston to have 12 as the active even though the winds favour 30..I have no idea what the winds were at the time...but it would not surprise me that most arrivals last night were using the ILS to 12...I will also add that the runway lighting is also poor in my opinion...anyway I am just glad that everyone got out and there was no fire...

Not to nitpick, but Kingston airport is located on a peninsula of the south side of the island and the trades blow from the NE. The garbage is from the locals.

It has been a couple of years since i flew into KIN but is it still a DME arc to the ILS and do they have functioning radar now?

[CAL]

No your right mostly but when I say trades I generally mean easterly...we have a huge problem here in the Caymans with garbage floating in, but knowing Kingston it may very well be 'local' garbage as you say.

In regards to the arc to 12...dont think so we are always straight in(well its an offset)...I have been flying the route for only 3 years..they do have radar yes and I am assuming it works as we sometimes get vectors for traffic...I am guessing things have changed a bit since you were last in KIN? dont think you are missing much:)

[Tango01]

This should give you an idea of the IAPs.

http://kingston.vatcar.org/mkjpcharts.html

NOT to be used for real life flying!!!

[yycflyguy]

Your garbage in GCM is probably coming from Jamaica!

You are right, been awhile, and nop, I sure don't miss it.

Back to the accident.

METARS for MKJP

2009/12/23 03:00
MKJP 230300Z 32008KT 3000 +SHRA BKN014 FEW016CB SCT030 BKN100 21/20 Q1014 RETSRA

2009/12/23 04:00
MKJP 230400Z 32014KT 11500 +SHRA BKN014 FEW016CB SCT028 BKN090 21/18 Q1013 RERA

Definitely a tailwind for RWY 12 but probably under 10kts.

[gulfan]

Some good pictures from Twitter:

http://twitpic.com/uspc6

http://twitpic.com/usp7k

http://twitpic.com/usp5k

http://twitpic.com/usozt

[sky's the limit]

As someone who flew off that runway every dayedit/Lil I'm actually surprised it's taken this long for someone to mess it up, saw too many near misses in my time there.

stl

[planett]

Morgan's Harbour is 'jus down de road nah' (Where Bond took Felix and met Quarrel while looking for Dr. No)

[ywgflyboy]

Ok. If they were on the ILS 12 how could they end up on the beach? Maybe the airport diagram I am looking at is not that descriptive, but would they not have to be landing on rw30 to overrun onto the beach?

[Panama Jack]

Come on Jack, you had the "pleasure" of flying into this airport. Garbage and litter everywhere.

Yes, also heard interesting stories from my colleague about trying to make it to work amist a shoot-out between the local middle-class neighborhood and the Constabulary. When I was in Toronto or when I am in Hounslow it makes me think of Kingston (without the more pleasant weather). I honestly don't understand why people choose to vacation in Jamaica. Even more bizarre is the white girls with their rent-a-dreads vacation boyfriends.

In any case, New Years Eve 2000 was a lot of fun in Ocho Rios and taught me some very interesting dancing with the local girls-- very friendly, close-in type of stuff-- as close as one could get to sex while being fully dressed.

Merry Christmas amigo.

[planett]

arictaylor,

The diagram is very misleading, both thresholds are very close to water, but the Kingston Harbour side is coloured blue, the Caribbean side is white, an unfortunate misprint. The aircraft crossed the Old Palisadoes road which is like a narrow breakwater that runs northeast separating the harbour from the sea until arcing west to Kingston. About 200 feet from the road is the "beach".