Amazon Air Cargo Plane Overruns Runway at Miami International Airport, Killing Five

Runway Overrun in Miami

An Amazon Air cargo plane operated by 21 Air overran a runway at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6, striking multiple vehicles on a nearby road and killing five people while injuring five others.

ABC News reported that the National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team led by NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to investigate the incident, which took place Sunday afternoon.

The FAA said the Prime Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport and that the Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft departed from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said around 200 personnel responded, and it reported that one person was trapped under one of the involved vehicles and had to be extricated by specialized MDFR technical rescue personnel.

The crash prompted a roughly 3-hour ground stop at the airport, with two of the airport’s runways reopened after the incident, according to officials cited by CBS News.

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Investigators, Witnesses, and Delays

AP News said federal investigators were detailing their plans for determining what caused an Amazon cargo jet to barrel off a runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others as it struck vehicles and was engulfed in flames. AP also reported that Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said thick black smoke trapped the pilot and copilot in the cockpit and some occupants in cars, and that crews had to extricate a person trapped under a vehicle. In a statement to the press, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said, "We're heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport," while also saying the company would cooperate with the investigation.

BBC reported that passengers at Miami International Airport were frustrated over the lack of information from airline and airport officials, with one traveler telling the outlet, "I'll probably have to find a hotel and spend more time in Miami." The BBC live coverage also said the NTSB launched a "go team" to investigate the crash and would brief media on its findings on Monday, with chairwoman Jennifer Homendy expected to give an update.

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What Happens Next

Investigators were likely to consider whether the plane flew too far before touching down, AP reported, noting that the landing zone is typically within the first 3,000 feet (914 meters) of a runway. AP quoted aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo saying that if the plane was beyond that area, "the plane should have aborted the landing and gone around for another attempt," and it also described Mary Schiavo saying video posted online showed the Amazon plane floating above the runway for an extended period. CBS News said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah described the scene as "a very complex situation," while the department said crews used foam and specialized airport firefighting units to combat flames and also conducted search and rescue operations for the pilot and co-pilot.

The BBC reported that the crash prompted a significant emergency response, with various crews onsite to manage the subsequent aircraft fire and fuel leak, and it said the FAA and NTSB would not be providing statements at that time. As the investigation continued, the airport’s operational disruption lingered, with FlightAware cited by CNBC reporting that more than 160 flights were canceled and nearly 325 delayed by late Sunday.

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