Boeing 737 Crashes Into River With 140 Aboard in Florida

In more Boeing news, today a 737 skidded off the runaway as it attempted to make its descent into Jacksonville, landing in the nearby St. John’s River. Owned by Miami Air International and contracted by the military, the plane was arriving from Cuba to Naval Air Base Jacksonville at 9:40pm ET when rough weather caused it to lose control and crash.

All 136 passengers and 7 crew aboard survived, and current reports state that 21 adults are being treated in area hospitals, all in good condition.

The plane itself remains in the shallow waters of the river, with several crews working to contain any spillage of jet fuel.

Cheryl Bormann, a civilian defense contractor, had this to say about the flight: “The plane … literally hit the ground and then it bounced. It was clear that the pilot did not have complete control of the plane because it bounced some more, it swerved and tilted left and right. The pilot was trying to control it but couldn’t, and then all of a sudden it smashed into something.”

The flight itself was a regularly scheduled ‘rotator’ flight, which operates twice weekly to transfer military personnel, contractors and families to and from Guantanamo.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office says a ‘marine unit’ was called in to assist with the situation.

H/T CNN