AVIATION/ NTSB BEGINS PROBE OF AA FL331 CRASH

NTSB investigators have arrived in Kingston, Jamaica to investigate the crash of AMERICAN AIRLINES Flight 331 on Tuesday evening. Flight 331 was on International Boeing 737 Service from Miami, Florida, to Kingston, with 148 passengers and 6 crew members onboard, when it overshot the runway at Kingston, while landing in heavy rains at 10:22pm on Tuesday, December 22. At least 40 people were injured, 4 seriously, however only 7 people were admitted to hospitals. Upon landing, the 737 did not stop on the runway. It ploughed through a perimeter fence, skidded across a road and ended up just short of the Caribbean Sea. The aircraft's engines broke off, part of the landing gear smashed and the body of the plane was cracked in several areas.

Passenger reports said the plane initially seemed to have landed normally but then there was a loud bang before oxygen masks dropped and the fuselage began to crumble. The NTSB dispatched 5 aviation specialists to assist the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority in reviewing the crash. They were also accompanied by technical advisers from the FAA, American Airlines, Boeing Aircraft Company and GE Aircraft Engines. Although no comments have been made by the NTSB as of yet, early indications are that the bad weather may have caused, or played a major role, in the crash. Reports from Jamaica this morning say that both black boxes have been located and are currently enroute to Washington DC for analysis.