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At least five people were killed and five others injured after an Amazon cargo plane operated by 21 Air overran a runway at Miami International Airport in the United States and crashed into vehicles before catching fire.
The Boeing 767-300 cargo plane, operating as Flight 21 Air 7598 for Amazon Prime Air, was landing at Miami International Airport just before 2pm local time on Sunday after a flight from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Project reports
The plane did not stop on the usable portion of the runway, crossed a perimeter road and struck several vehicles before coming to rest near a parking area, where it caught fire.
Miami-Dade authorities said five people were killed while five others were injured. Three of the injured were in critical condition.
The identities of those killed had not been made public as of Monday morning, while authorities were still working to establish whether all the fatalities occurred inside the plane or among people on the ground.
More than 60 units of the Miami-Dade Fire Department and approximately 200 emergency personnel responded to the scene. Firefighters extinguished the flames and dealt with a fuel leak while rescue teams worked to free people trapped inside the plane and vehicles struck by the plane.
Preliminary flight tracking data indicates that the plane was still traveling at about 112 knots, or about 129 miles per hour, when it left the usable runway.
Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as a 32-year-old Boeing 767-33A(ER)(BDSF), registration N1997A. The aircraft had originally operated as a passenger aircraft and was later converted to a freighter.
The flight took about two hours and 11 minutes from San Juan to Miami, with the plane landing around 1.53pm local time.
The aircraft came to rest with its nose on the ground and its tail raised, with burn marks visible on parts of the fuselage following the fire.
Investigators have not yet determined why the plane did not stop.
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent investigators to Miami and is expected to examine the plane’s approach, landing point, speed, braking performance, runway conditions, weather, crew actions and other operational factors.
The Federal Aviation Administration also opened an investigation.
Thunderstorms and strong winds complicate the investigation
Weather conditions are likely to be part of the investigation, although authorities have not blamed the weather for the crash.
Flight tracking and aviation data showed thunderstorms and gusty winds around the airport at the time of the crash.
Flightradar24 reported winds of around 17 knots, gusting to 26 knots, with thunderstorms and cumulonimbus clouds in the area.
This does not prove that the weather caused the accident. Investigators will need to determine whether wind direction, gusts, a possible wind shift, runway conditions or other factors affected the plane’s landing performance.
The NTSB also indicated that investigators will look into whether the plane landed too far down the runway.
The incident also revived attention on physical security measures around Miami International Airport.
The plane crossed the end of the runway and then crossed a nearby road before hitting the vehicles. The fact that a busy road and commercial facilities were located beyond the runway became an important part of the safety debate.
The Associated Press reported that the airport does not have some of the runway arrest systems recommended by the FAA for some airports. Such systems are designed to help stop planes from overrunning a runway.
However, it would be premature to say that the lack of such a system caused Sunday’s deaths. That is ultimately a matter for investigations.
Sunday’s disaster is particularly significant because Amazon’s Prime Air network was involved in another fatal Boeing 767 crash seven years ago.
On February 23, 2019, Atlas Air Flight 3591, another Boeing 767 freighter operating on behalf of Amazon Prime Air, crashed into Trinity Bay near Houston, Texas.
The plane was flying from Miami to Houston when it went into a rapid descent and crashed into the bay. All three people on board were killed.
The 2019 plane was operated by Atlas Air, not 21 Air, meaning it was not an accident involving the same airline responsible for Sunday’s Miami crash. The common link was Amazon’s air cargo operation.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the 2019 crash and found that the plane suffered a loss of control in flight following an airspeed indication problem. The crew’s inappropriate response to the situation contributed to the crash.
The plane was also a Boeing 767-300 freighter, making the similarity in plane type and connection to Amazon notable, even though the circumstances of the two crashes are substantially different.
The distinction between Amazon and 21 Air is important.
Amazon does not operate the plane like a conventional airline. Its Amazon Air network uses cargo carriers, including 21 Air, to operate flights.
The plane involved in Sunday’s crash was operated by 21 Air for Amazon, based in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Therefore, the Miami incident should properly be described as an Amazon Air/Prime Air cargo operation involving 21 Air, rather than simply an incident of an Amazon-owned airline.
The FAA has officially identified the crash involving Flight 21 Air 7598 and said the Boeing 767-300 cargo plane overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport.
Sunday’s crash also adds to a long list of plane crashes at or near Miami International Airport.
The Aviation Safety Network database lists 76 plane crashes at or near Miami International Airport. That historical figure covers a very long period and includes incidents of varying severity, so it should not be interpreted as meaning Miami is experiencing dozens of fatal commercial crashes.
Among the most recent significant accidents was RED Air Flight 203 in June 2022.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 suffered a landing gear collapse and runway excursion after arriving at Miami International Airport. The plane caught fire, but there were no casualties.
The Aviation Safety Network also records a number of previous incidents involving cargo and passenger planes at the airport. One of the most serious recent historical cases occurred in August 1997, when a Fine Air Douglas DC-8 crashed shortly after takeoff from Miami, killing five people.
The airport’s history dates back decades, with several fatal accidents occurring in the 1950s and 1960s.
Miami International Airport is not a normal passenger airport. It is one of the most important air gateways between the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean and has a particularly significant cargo operation.
This makes airport runway safety particularly important due to the volume and variety of aircraft operating there.
Sunday’s accident temporarily halted airport operations.
All runways and taxiways were initially closed following the accident, creating a ground stop for incoming and outgoing flights. According to reports, more than 160 flights were canceled and around 325 delayed, before parts of the airport gradually reopened.
By Sunday evening, two of the airport’s four runways had resumed operations, although significant disruptions remained.
The central question now is not simply why the plane left the runway, but why it failed to stop before reaching the end of the runway.
They will also reconstruct the plane’s final approach using flight data, cockpit recordings and air traffic control communications.
The NTSB is expected to release preliminary findings as investigators establish the sequence of events.
For now, authorities have cautioned against drawing conclusions about the cause.
A new test for Amazon’s growing cargo business
The incident comes as Amazon’s air transportation network continues to play an increasingly important role in the company’s delivery system.
The 2019 Atlas Air crash demonstrated the potential consequences of using large cargo planes in the network. Sunday’s accident is different in nature, occurring during landing rather than after an in-flight loss of control, but the fact that both involved Boeing 767 freighters flying for Amazon is likely to attract renewed scrutiny.
The immediate priority, however, remains the victims and their families.
