A passenger airliner that skidded into the St. Johns River Friday night endured a series of delays that put it behind schedule and in harm's way, according to a source close to the investigation.
The plane originally left from NAS JAX for Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Friday morning at 9 a.m., the source said, but 15 minutes into the flight they had to return because of an AC issue.
When they finished repairing the AC it was time for a change of command and pilots had also entered a “quiet hours” period – during which they aren’t supposed to fly.
The flight finally departed for Guantanamo Bay at 3:30 p.m. Friday, even though it had originally been scheduled to arrive back NAS JAX at 4 p.m., and leave again for Norfolk, Va. at 5 p.m. Friday.
But because of all the delays, including rain delays on the way back, the plane didn't arrive to Jacksonville airspace until just after 9 p.m.
These flights happen routinely at the same time every other Tuesday and ever Friday.
One hundred-forty-two people were on board. Twenty-one of them sustained minor injuries and three pets reportedly remained in the plane's cargo hold Saturday morning. The condition of the animals was unknown as of 10:15 a.m. Saturday.
According to the source, two male pilots, two female flight attendants, two male flight attendants and one mechanic were on board as crew members. "They were in good spirits knowing everyone was OK, but they were clearly shaken up," the source told First Coast News.
They still do not know definitively what happened, but early indications point to the weather conditions a the time of landing, according to sources.