A tragic incident at Miami International Airport resulted in the deaths of five people when an Amazon Air cargo plane overran a runway on Sunday, September 6. Preliminary data from the cockpit voice recorder revealed that one of the pilots had raised concerns about the aircraft’s excessive speed during its landing approach.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been investigating the accident, which took place around 1:53 PM local time. The recording indicated that for nearly two minutes prior to landing, there were warnings from one of the pilots that the plane was travelling “too fast.” The NTSB noted that the pilot continued to express apprehensions about the aircraft’s speed throughout the recording.
The crash led to the aircraft striking several vehicles, tragically resulting in the deaths of five occupants. The victims have been identified as Rolando Aleman, aged 55, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, aged 53, Julio C. Pineda, aged 75, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, aged 53, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, aged 47, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
The cargo plane, a Boeing 767-300 operated by 21 Air, had been flying under a busy schedule, having made its third trip of the day. Departing from San Juan in Puerto Rico, it had previously flown to Cincinnati before returning to Miami. During its landing at Miami International Airport, the aircraft overran Runway 30, first striking navigational equipment and then colliding with a white Ford Econoline van containing seven people. The plane continued its erratic path by hitting a Toyota Corolla Cross on a nearby roadway before veering through a perimeter fence.
In total, the aircraft travelled approximately 1,300 feet beyond the runway before coming to a stop, raising serious concerns regarding the procedures followed during landing. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy confirmed that both pilots aboard the cargo plane survived the incident.
Details surrounding the flight’s final moments were revealed by NTSB investigators. They noted that the plane’s nose and right landing gear touched down approximately 30 seconds before the recording concluded, with a speed of 158 knots (around 181 mph). The pilots initiated braking only several seconds later when speed had decreased to 146 knots (about 168 mph). Subsequent data indicated further complicated attempts at managing the aircraft’s speed and landing process, but no deployment of speed brakes or thrust reversers was recorded.
The NTSB emphasised that the information shared thus far should be considered preliminary and may be subject to change. The cockpit voice recorder captured more than two hours of audio while the flight data recorder documented around 54 hours of operational parameters. Full transcripts of both recordings have yet to be released.
Following this tragic event, both Amazon and 21 Air expressed their condolences and vowed to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. Kelly Nantel, a representative for Amazon, described the loss of life as weighing heavily on the company and extended heartfelt sympathies to the victims’ families. Keith Winters, CEO of 21 Air, echoed these sentiments, emphasising their commitment to supporting the affected families and providing accurate information as the investigation progresses.
As the NTSB continues its inquiry into the circumstances surrounding this incident, many questions remain unanswered regarding the decisions made leading to the crash. The aviation community, alongside the families affected, is awaiting further developments in the investigation.