American Airlines Boeing 737-800 Damaged After Runway Excursion in Kingston

On June 6th, 2024, an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 (registration N879NN) operating Flight AA850 from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Kingston Norman Manley Airport (KIN) experienced a runway excursion due to heavy rain. Despite the incident, no passengers were injured, and the aircraft managed to taxi to the gate without assistance.

The runway excursion occurred during the landing phase, a common time for such incidents. Flight AA850 experienced a hard landing and veered off the runway mid-point between two taxiways at low speed. The aircraft sustained damage to its engines, landing lights, landing gear, and other undercarriage components. However, the damage was not severe enough to prevent it from taxiing back to the gate.

American Airlines issued a statement regarding the incident:

"American Airlines flight 850 from Miami (MIA) to Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) briefly exited the runway after landing. The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power, and customers deplaned normally. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience."

The aircraft involved is a 12.6-year-old Boeing 737-800NG, equipped with CFM International CFM56-7B24 engines, and was built at the Renton factory in the US.

A passenger, Richard Pandohie, described the landing as "rough, even scary," but expressed gratitude for the safe landing despite the plane's significant damage. He praised the calm and professional conduct of the AA flight crew.

The return flight to Miami was rescheduled for the next morning as the airline needed to source a replacement aircraft.

Weather Conditions

The heavy rain in Kingston at the time of landing was cited as the cause of the runway excursion. Runways contaminated with standing water can cause aircraft to hydroplane, losing directional control and making braking difficult due to reduced friction.

This is not the first time an American Airlines Boeing 737 has experienced a runway excursion at KIN. In December 2009, AA Flight 331 overran the runway during landing, causing significant damage, but fortunately, there were no injuries among the 154 passengers and crew.