U.S. safety board cites rain, crew in 2019 Boeing 737 runway departure

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday said poor braking conditions following a heavy rain and the failure of the crew to follow procedures led to a Boeing 737 overrunning the runway and going into a Florida river in May 2019.

The Miami Air International plane chartered by the U.S. military landed during a thunderstorm at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and was arriving from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with 143 crew and passengers onboard when it went into the St. Johns River.

The board also cited "the operator's inadequate guidance for evaluating runway braking conditions." NTSB said Miami Air ceased operations in May 2020.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis)