Heavy rain and standing water on the runway caused a chartered Boeing 737 to hydroplane after an unstable approach to Jacksonville, Florida, U.S., and to run off the runway and into the St. Johns River, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says.
One of the 143 people in the airplane received minor injuries in the May 3, 2019, accident, several animals traveling in the cargo compartment were killed and the 737 was substantially damaged.
The NTSB said, in its final report on the accident, that the probable cause was “an extreme loss of braking friction due to heavy rain and the water depth on the ungrooved runway, which resulted in viscous hydroplaning.”
The report cited as a contributing factor the “inadequate guidance” provided by the operator, Miami Air International, on how to evaluate runway braking conditions and conduct landing distance assessment while en route.
The report also cited as contributing factors to the continuation of the unstable a…
