Amazon Cargo Jet Overruns Miami Runway, Killing Five

Federal investigators have begun piecing together the final seconds of an Amazon Prime Air cargo flight that overran a Miami International Airport runway on Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring five others after the Boeing 767 struck vehicles on a nearby public road. The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilots appeared to initiate a go-around maneuver just before touchdown, then reversed course and attempted to land, a sequence that left the aircraft short on runway distance and contributed to the overrun.

The plane, operating as a scheduled Amazon cargo service, touched down on runway 9 at roughly 1:20 p.m. local time. Data reviewed by investigators show the crew briefly considered rejecting the landing before committing to it, a decision that consumed several hundred feet of pavement and critical moments of decision time. The aircraft then departed the end of the runway, crossed a perimeter road, and collided with multiple vehicles before coming to rest and igniting. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue deployed more than 60 units and roughly 200 personnel to contain the blaze.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, speaking at the airport Monday, emphasized that the agency is still early in its work and has not determined a probable cause. A preliminary timeline released Tuesday night indicates the flight crew was not fully aligned with the runway centerline at touchdown and that engine thrust settings changed rapidly in the moments before impact. Aviation experts who reviewed the sequence described it as highly unusual. Retired United Airlines pilot Steven Arroyo noted that standard procedures call for pilots to either land or execute a full go-around, not to toggle between the two in the final seconds.

The crash comes as Amazon has expanded its Prime Air cargo network to support next-day and same-day delivery commitments. The company operates a growing fleet of dedicated freighters, many of them converted passenger aircraft like the 767 involved in Sunday’s accident. Industry data show cargo operations at major U.S. airports have increased steadily since 2020, adding flights during periods when passenger traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels. That shift has placed additional demands on airport infrastructure and air traffic control sequencing, particularly at hubs such as Miami that handle both international passenger traffic and growing volumes of e-commerce freight.

Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. A full transcript is expected to be released Wednesday. The NTSB has also begun interviewing air traffic controllers and reviewing radar and weather information from the time of the approach. No mechanical malfunction has been identified so far, though the agency is examining engine performance, landing gear systems, and runway condition.

Local authorities have not released the names of the deceased. Five people on the ground were transported to area hospitals, three in critical condition. The airport resumed limited operations Sunday evening on unaffected runways. Amazon said in a brief statement that it is cooperating fully with federal investigators and has grounded the remainder of its 767 fleet pending initial findings.

The episode underscores ongoing questions about how rapidly expanding cargo networks interact with existing safety margins at busy airports. As e-commerce volumes continue to rise, regulators and operators will face renewed pressure to evaluate whether current procedures for go-around decisions, runway length requirements, and ground-vehicle separation remain adequate for the current mix of traffic.