MIAMI (AP) -- An Amazon cargo plane tragically crashed off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals and injuring five others. The incident occurred when the aircraft overran the runway around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The plane plowed across a road used by warehouse workers and businesses surrounding the airport before igniting a fire, engulfing the scene in thick black smoke, authorities reported.
Miami-Dade County officials confirmed that five people lost their lives, while three sustained critical injuries and two others were hospitalized with non-critical injuries. It's still unclear whether the pilots survived the crash or whether all deceased individuals were inside vehicles struck by the plane.
According to Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah, the crash resulted in the pilot and copilot becoming trapped in the cockpit. Emergency crews worked diligently, extricating a person who had been trapped beneath a vehicle. The crash halted flights at this busy travel hub for much of the afternoon, as approximately 200 emergency personnel responded to the scene, combating heavy flames and smoke from a raging engine compartment fire. Firefighters utilized specialized foam from airport firefighting units to extinguish the blaze, while crews continued to address a fuel leak from the aircraft for several hours following the incident.
The Amazon Prime Air plane was found beside a roadway near two semitrucks. Images showed that the aircraft had come to rest on its belly and remained largely intact despite the fire. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, with officials noting that thunderstorms and wind gusts of up to 30 mph were reported in the area during the time of the incident, according to the National Weather Service.
The flight was operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. The Boeing 767, which was originally designed to carry passengers, had been in service for over two decades before being converted to a cargo aircraft in 2015. Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 provided further details on the plane's history.
By late Sunday, more than 160 flights had been canceled, and nearly 325 were delayed as a result of the crash. Some flights were even diverted to Orlando International Airport, located more than 200 miles north of Miami. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that a team led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy will be dispatched to Miami to investigate the incident.
In light of the tragedy, Amazon expressed its condolences in a statement, saying, "We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss."
This incident recalls a similar tragedy from the previous year when a UPS plane crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport after losing its engine while taking off, resulting in the deaths of all three pilots and twelve people on the ground, with an additional twenty-three individuals injured.
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo noted that a 767 cargo aircraft typically operates with just a pilot and copilot on domestic flights, while an international flight might require additional crew members. He raised concerns about whether the Amazon plane landed within the required touchdown zone of the runway, and, if not, why the pilots did not abort the landing and attempt to go around for another approach.
Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former Transportation Department inspector general, commented on a video of the landing that showed the Amazon plane floating above the runway for an extended period, failing to descend appropriately onto the main landing gear. She highlighted that Miami International Airport lacks arresting systems—a safety feature endorsed by the FAA and implemented in more than 120 airports nationwide—that can help prevent accidents involving planes overrunning runways.
