A chartered jet carrying 143 people from the US military base in Cuba, tried to land in a thunderstorm and ended up in the river at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville.
Authorities said everyone on board emerged without critical injuries, lining up on the wings and waiting to be rescued.
The Boeing 737 landed in north Florida from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Friday night, with 136 passengers and seven crew members, coming to a stop in shallow water in the St Johns River. Everyone on board was alive and accounted for, but nearly two dozen people were transported to local hospitals. Most have since been released, authorities said.
Marine units from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department and Fire Rescue joined first responders from the naval air station, helping passengers and crew to safety.
Capt Michael Connor, the commanding officer of NAS Jacksonville, described the passengers as a mix of military personnel and families, and a few civilians.
While some were staying in the area, others planned to fly on to other parts of the country.
“I think it is a miracle,” Connor said. “We could be talking about a different story this evening.”
Passengers lined up on the plane’s wings before climbing into rescue boats, said the base’s fire chief, Mark Brusoe.
Several pets were on the plane as well, and their status wasn’t immediately clear.
A navy statement early Saturday offering “hearts and prayers” to their owners said safety issues prevented rescuers from immediately retrieving the animals.
“It wasn’t immediately clear what went wrong,” Boeing said in a tweet Friday night that it was investigating. “We are aware of an incident in Jacksonville, Fla, and are gathering information.” The Federal Aviation Administration was referring media inquiries to NAS Jacksonville. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team of 16 investigators to determine what happened.
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