An Amazon Air cargo plane overshot the runway while attempting to land at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and seriously injuring five others. The crash also triggered a major emergency response that grounded all flights at one of the country’s busiest international airports.
The Boeing 767-300, operated by charter company 21 Air on behalf of Amazon, departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and crashed. Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed the aircraft travelling at 112 knots as it exited the usable runway surface. The plane overran the diagonal runway and came to rest at the northwest end of the airport, striking several vehicles on the ground in the process. Light thunderstorms and gusting winds were reported in Miami at the time.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed five deaths at a Sunday evening news conference. Five others were injured, three of them critically. Several of the injured had been trapped inside or beneath vehicles on the ground and needed to be physically extracted by fire and rescue crews. More than 200 firefighters responded to the scene, where the aircraft had caught fire with heavy flames. Flames were extinguished, but a fuel leak remained at the site.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights at Miami International Airport following the crash. Passengers already at the airport described frustration at the lack of information. Frustrations also poured for the long queues at airline counters as travellers attempted to rebook.
The crash fell on Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year in the United States. The TSA projected that 2.3 million people would fly on Sunday alone and 17 million in the week leading up to the holiday.
Condolence Message from Amazon
Amazon expressed condolences in a statement. “We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident,” said Kelly Nantel, Amazon’s Director of Corporate Global Media Relations. Further adding that the company would cooperate fully with any investigation.
21 Air, the North Carolina-based charter operator, had not responded to media requests at the time of publication.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates all US aviation accidents, confirmed it would hold a news conference on Monday. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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