Five individuals lost their lives when an Amazon cargo jet skidded off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday. The victims were passengers in a van carrying seven members from a cleaning company, and an SUV was struck outside the airport premises, as stated by Jennifer Homendy, chairperson of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Homendy did not specify the number of occupants in the SUV or the location of the fatalities but described the crash site as “utter devastation.” She mentioned walking the path taken by the Boeing 767, observing tire tracks transitioning from the pavement to the grass, a demolished van transporting the cleaning crew, damaged fencing, navigational equipment, and the impacted SUV outside the airport area.
The wreckage extended approximately 396 meters beyond the paved surface, with debris scattered widely, according to Homendy. She characterized the scene as “devastating” and mentioned that the van, housing seven individuals, was severely damaged. The van belonged to Professional Ocean Service Corp., an airline cleaning contractor.
The NTSB plans to release further details on Tuesday, potentially including information retrieved from the flight data recorder regarding the aircraft’s speed. Investigators are scrutinizing whether the plane landed too late to stop safely.
The Miami airport lacks Engineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS) that are installed in over 120 airports nationwide to prevent planes from overshooting runways. The absence of EMAS at Miami International Airport will be a focal point of the NTSB investigation to determine if its implementation could have averted the tragic incident that occurred on Sunday.
The flight involved a 32-year-old Boeing 767 operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. The aircraft, initially designed for passenger transport, underwent conversion to a cargo plane in 2015. The NTSB will closely analyze the plane’s maintenance history, particularly since it has been owned by foreign entities, including a Russian company.
The crash disrupted operations at Miami International Airport, leading to the closure of two runways and impacting flight schedules. Amazon expressed condolences for the loss of life and pledged cooperation with the investigation.
In a separate incident last year, a UPS plane crashed at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, resulting in fatalities and injuries.