NTSB Reported To Have Concerns Following American Airlines Incident In Jamaica

An American Airlines jet which slid off a wet runway during heavy rain in Kingston, Jamaica in December has the NTSB reviewing wet braking standards for airliners, according to a report published in The Wall Street Journal. Unnamed sources tell the paper that by the airlines' accepted criteria for wet braking, the 737-800 should have been able to stop even after landing about mid-field in heavy rain.

The accident collapsed the landing gear of the airplane, and the fuselage broke into three sections. Several of the 154 people on board were hospitalized, but all survived.

The Journal says that preliminary reports indicate that the airplane started to slow down after it landed, but did not decelerate as normal and even briefly accelerated as it traveled down the runway. Sources told the paper that the deceleration levels did not reach test flight projections even after full manual braking was applied.

The sources say the NTSB is conducting the research with an eye towards recommending that safety margins for landings on wet runways be re-evaluated, and that those margins be tightened if necessary.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov