KINGSTON, Jamaica— An American Airlines representative has confirmed that no injuries were reported after a flight from Miami to Kingston briefly veered off the runway while landing at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) on Thursday.

In a brief statement on Friday morning, the airline said that flight 850 taxied to the gate under its own power, and passengers deplaned without issue.

“American Airlines flight 850 from Miami (MIA) to Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) briefly exited the runway after landing. The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power, and customers deplaned normally. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”

While the airline did not disclose why the plane veered off the runway, a passenger, speaking anonymously to Observer Online, reported that the flight experienced significant turbulence due to weather conditions.

She explained that the flight, initially scheduled to land in Jamaica at 7:50 pm, was delayed in Miami, resulting in a new landing time of 9:01 pm. However, the plane did not land at NMIA until 9:32 pm.

“As soon as we got onto the plane the pilot came on and said that they were experiencing thunderstorms over Cuba so they couldn’t fly there, and they will have to go around which would make our trip 2 hours and 12 minutes instead of the 1 and 44 minutes it was supposed to be. And then it was pure turbulence,” she said.

Grass caught in the wheel of American Airlines flight 850 after it briefly veered off the runway at NMIA.

“The seatbelt sign was on for maybe an hour and a half, normally they turn it off after about an hour but it was on for the extra time because it was so turbulent,” the passenger added.

The passenger noted that the turbulence disrupted snack service, with the pilot instructing flight attendants to remain seated. Later, the pilot asked the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for an early landing, which raised concerns among passengers.

She added that the turbulence worsened as the plane approached Jamaica.

“When we got to Kingston now that’s where the turbulence really start! You know like when you a drive and you go over a little incline and your belly dips? A pure of that in the sky. Every time it dip another passenger kept shouting ‘Jesus, Jesus’. People were panicking,” she said.

She said the pilot sought to allay the fears of the passengers by reminding them that it was just turbulence and to ensure that they were wearing their seatbelts.

“And then she started descending pretty slowly so I was expecting a soft landing but it felt more like the plane dropped! So we started clapping thinking it was over but then the plane started going faster instead of slowing down and that’s when I knew it was skidding,” the passenger said.

“Because I felt when she pulled on the brake so I started to question why it felt like we are taking off again. I had to put my hand on the seat in front of me to brace myself because I was about to slam into it…,” she added.

The passenger added that everyone was happy for a safe landing, and nobody seemed to have suffered any injuries.

Both the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority and American Airlines Response Teams are said to be on the scene of the incident.

-Vanessa James