All passengers and crew safe after Boeing 737 skids off runway in Florida

A chartered Boeing 737 airplane carrying military personnel and civilians skidded off the runway at the naval air station in Jacksonville, Florida, and into the St. John's River on Friday evening after flying in from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. All 143 on board were rescued, though 21 were transported to local hospitals to treat minor injuries. Navy security and emergency response personnel were on the scene.

The captain of the plane, Michael Connor, described the safe landing as a miracle. "We could be talking about a different story this evening," he said. "So there's a lot to say about the professionalism of the folks that helped the passengers off the airplane."

Officials did not immediately say what caused the plane to leave the runway, but an investigation is underway.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Boeing has faced scrutiny recently after two of its planes — both the same model — crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia, possibly due to software malfunctions.