Investigators Examine Causes of Amazon Cargo Jet Crash at Miami International Airport

Federal investigators on Monday outlined their approach to determining the cause of an Amazon cargo jet that overran a runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others after striking vehicles and catching fire.

The aircraft overran the runway around 2 p.m. Sunday after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and crossed a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses near the airport. Five people were killed, three were critically injured, and two others were hospitalized with less severe injuries, officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether the pilots survived or whether those killed were all in vehicles struck by the plane.

The crash produced thick black smoke and trapped the pilot and copilot in the cockpit along with some vehicle occupants, said Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah. Crews also extricated a person trapped under a vehicle.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy would hold a news conference Monday.

Among the factors investigators are expected to review is whether the plane touched down beyond the typical landing zone, which is usually within the first 3,000 feet of a runway, experts said. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo stated that if touchdown occurred past that point, the crew should have aborted the landing and attempted another approach.

Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, said video posted online shows the Amazon plane remaining above the runway for an extended distance without raising the nose to place the main landing gear on the surface.

It was not raining at the time, though dark storm clouds were present and strong winds were reported. Schiavo noted that a tail wind could have contributed to the plane floating farther down the runway. “A tail wind would certainly add to your troubles if you’ve already given up a good chunk of the runway by not touching down and landing right away,” Schiavo said.

Miami International Airport does not have arresting systems that the FAA has installed at more than 120 airports nationwide. These beds of lightweight, crushable material at runway ends have been credited by the FAA with helping save at least 497 lives in overrun incidents.

The crash halted flights at the airport for much of the afternoon. Approximately 200 emergency personnel responded and found the plane with heavy flames and smoke from an engine compartment fire, the department said. Firefighters used foam from specialized airport units to extinguish the fire, and crews continued to address a fuel leak hours later.

The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semitrucks. The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and remained largely intact despite the fire.

The flight was operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before conversion to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.

Schiavo said the NTSB will also examine the maintenance history of the aircraft, including its prior foreign ownership, including by a Russian company.

More than 160 flights were canceled and nearly 325 delayed by late Sunday, according to FlightAware. Officials at Orlando International Airport, more than 200 miles north of Miami, said some flights were diverted there.

Amazon said in a statement that it would cooperate with the investigation. “We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”

Last year, a UPS plane crashed after losing an engine while accelerating on the runway at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The crash killed all three pilots and 12 people on the ground, with 23 others injured.