USA08 September, 20263 min read
21 Air Boeing 767-300 Overran Runway At Miami International Airport, Killing Five In Cleaning Van
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Five people killed were in a van used to shuttle plane-cleaning crews at MIA. An Amazon-branded cargo jet overran runway at Miami International Airport, hitting the van and SUV.
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Runway overrun kills 5
A Boeing 767-300 cargo jet operated by 21 Air overran the runway at Miami International Airport while landing Sunday, then struck a van used to shuttle crews that clean planes and hit a passenger SUV on a city street.
Authorities said all five people killed were inside the van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office identified them as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.
NBC News reported that five other people were injured and taken to the hospital, with Eugenio Corredor, 79, and Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, remaining in critical condition and Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres, 36, stable.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the plane overran the runway, struck navigational aids and equipment, and then hit the cleaning company’s Ford van before careening through a perimeter fence and striking a Toyota SUV outside the airport.
Investigators are working to determine what happened in the crash, and the NTSB is leading the investigation into the crash.
Names, injuries, pilot escape
Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz released the victims’ names in a news conference Tuesday, and Fox News said the two pilots were treated and released after the Amazon Air Flight 7598 crash. NBC News reported that the two pilots, Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, and Joseph Carol, 55, were treated and released, while five other people were injured and taken to the hospital. In cellphone video described by NBC 6 South Florida, witness Olvin Henriquez said he saw the aftermath and described the moment “unexpectedly, we saw the pilot jump out of the cockpit door and run for his life as the plane rapidly burst into flames,” as thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
RTBF reported that three people were still hospitalized after the accident, with two in critical condition and one in stable condition, and said the NTSB is leading the investigation while the sheriff’s office will conduct its own inquiry into the deaths on the ground. The NTSB said the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered, and investigators are reviewing the information.
Investigation focus and next steps
Multiple outlets said the NTSB investigation will focus on runway safety systems, including the lack of a system to slow and stop speeding jets at the end of runways. WOWT reported that Miami is not one of the 120 airports in the U.S. with lightweight, crushable material that the Federal Aviation Administration says has saved around 500 lives, and it said Miami’s airport appears compliant because it has a 1,000-foot (305-meter) safety buffer at the end of its runways. Associated Press quoted NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy saying, “Our recommendations must be implemented or we’re going to be here again,” as runway excursions continue to happen even after the board has suggested installing the systems in the past.
Homendy also described the scene as “utter devastation,” and NBC News said the aircraft was on its third trip that day when it overran the runway during a landing after traveling from Cincinnati to Miami and then Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. NBC News reported that the aircraft was returning from San Juan when it crashed, and it said the flight data and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered while interviews with the pilot, co-pilot, air traffic controllers and others are being scheduled.