Pax Jet in water at NAS Jacksonville, all OK

[Airbubba]

NTSB Accident Report Released:

Poor Braking Conditions Following Heavy Rain Led to 737 Runway Overrun

8/4/2021​ Washington (August 4, 2021) — A jetliner overran a rain-soaked runway due to an “extreme loss of braking friction,” the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Wednesday.

Miami Air International flight 293, a Boeing 737 charter transporting U.S. Department of Defense personnel from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ended up in shallow waters of the St. Johns River after it overran runway 10 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, while landing in a heavy rainstorm May 3, 2019. Although none of the 143 passengers and crew onboard were seriously injured, several animals carried in the cargo compartment died in the accident.

The accident report details how the flight crew did not follow procedures, including continuing an unstabilized approach, landing the airplane at an excessive approach speed, and delaying deployment of the speedbrakes. However, investigators determined that even if none of those errors occurred, the airplane still would not have stopped on the ungrooved runway because the rainfall rate and runway characteristics contributed to water depths that caused the aircraft to hydroplane.



​ (In this photo, taken May 4, 2019, Miami Air flight 293, a Boeing 737, is shown in the shallow water of the St. Johns River after departing runway 10 while landing in a rainstorm at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. NTSB photo by Dan Bower.)

The investigation also found Miami Air International failed to provide its flight crews with adequate guidance for evaluating braking conditions for landing on wet or contaminated runways.

Miami Air International ceased operations May 8, 2020.

The NTSB’s 32-page accident report, Miami Air Boeing 737; Jacksonville, Florida; May 3, 2019, is available online at https://go.usa.gov/xFNPb.

The accident docket, which contains interviews, photos, studies and other factual material, was opened to the public April 21, 2021, and is available online at https://go.usa.gov/x6GGd​. [this link leads to the report, not the docket - Airbubba]

Probable Cause and Findings The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

An extreme loss of braking friction due to heavy rain and the water depth on the ungrooved runway, which resulted in viscous hydroplaning. Contributing to the accident was the operator’s inadequate guidance for evaluating runway braking conditions and conducting en route landing distance assessments.

Contributing to the continuation of an unstabilized approach were

1) the captain’s plan continuation bias and increased workload due to the weather and performing check airman duties and

2) the first officer’s lack of experience