AVIATION/ UPDATE ISSUED ON AA FL331

The AMERICAN AIRLINES Boeing 737 that overshot the Kingston, Jamaica Airport runway and split apart on December 22, touched down nearly halfway down the runway, well past its target, investigators said yesterday. Oscar Derby, director-general of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, said it was not yet clear if that point of landing was a factor in an accident that injured dozens of passengers. The plane's wheels made contact at around the 1220 metre mark and the plane bounced once on the wet runway before the brakes engaged, Derby said. The target mark for the Boeing 737-800 was within the 1st 457 metres of the 2716-metre runway. Investigators said they are still considering potential factors including Pilot error or mechanical failure. A spokesman for American said it does not dispute the landing place on the runway but said that the general rule is to land within 915 metres or the 1st 3rd of a runway, whichever is shorter. He said he was reluctant to comment further because the investigation is at an early stage. AA Flight 331, which took off from Washington's Reagan National Airport and had stopped in Miami, skidded off the runway as it landed in Kingston in heavy rain. The fuselage cracked open in 2 places, the left main landing gear collapsed and the nose was crushed as the plane lurched to a halt on a rocky beach 12 metres from the Caribbean Sea. All 154 passengers and crew onboard survived. 92 were hurt, none of them with injuries considered life-threatening. A controller at Norman Manley International Airport advised the flight crew of a tail wind and offered an alternative runway, but the crew was cleared for landing after repeating its request for the 1st runway, according to the preliminary investigation. Derby said the tail wind was not unusually strong. There is no indication the Captain or Co-Pilot had any concerns about the approach. After descending through the cloud cover, the crew saw the runway when the 737 was between 215 metres and 300 metres. The plane was travelling at 300km/h when the wheels made 1st contact. It sped off the edge of the runway at 115.87km/h before plowing through a perimeter fence, according to data from a flight recorder. According to investigators, the tires, braking system and the rest of the wreckage will be sent to the United States for further examination. The investigation continues.