Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami airport kills five, prompts NTSB investigation

The runway overrun and immediate toll

An Amazon Air cargo plane operated by 21 Air overran runway 30 at Miami International Airport at about 2 p.m. on Sunday after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Boeing 767-300 crossed Northwest 67th Avenue and struck multiple vehicles before coming to rest beside a roadway, where it caught fire with its left engine still running, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz reported that five people died and five others were injured, including three in critical condition and two with less serious injuries. Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said the pilot and co-pilot were trapped in the cockpit, that some vehicle occupants were also trapped, and that one person was trapped under a vehicle, while fire crews continued to manage a fuel leak several hours after the crash.

Casualties, victims and Amazon's response

Officials said it was too early to determine whether those killed were aboard the aircraft or in the vehicles it struck. Jackson Lee, who runs an electronics shop near the crash site, told reporters he went outside with four colleagues after the crash and saw smoke rising near the airport's fences. "We hear planes taking off and landing every five minutes. I thought I'd got used to it," Lee said. "I never thought it could come this close to us." Amazon said in a statement: "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." The company separately confirmed the flight as 21 Air Flight 7598, identified by the FAA, and said it was "working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened."

Aircraft history and early evidence on the cause

The aircraft, a 32-year-old Boeing 767 originally built to carry passengers and converted into a cargo plane in 2015, had flown for several airlines for more than two decades before entering cargo service, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. Images from the scene showed the Prime Air plane resting on its belly near two lorries and largely intact despite the fire. Aviation attorney Pablo Rojas of Podhurst Orseck noted the visible condition of the landing gear as a potential early clue. "You can see it stops in this parking lot area with the landing gear collapsed," Rojas said. "The nose is kind of dipping down. We don't know if that's something that happened late in the accident sequence or early enough to have caused the accident sequence." Firefighters reported that the left engine was still running as crews tried to suppress the fire and ultimately flooded it with water to stop it after the pilot could not shut it down.

Flight disruptions at Miami International Airport

The crash halted flights at the busy airport for much of Sunday afternoon, and about 250 flights were delayed by late afternoon, according to FlightAware. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the operator as 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina, and the National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to Miami, led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, to investigate. Amazon said it would cooperate with the inquiry.