An Amazon cargo plane careened off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring five others after the Boeing 767 overshot the runway, struck vehicles, and came to a fiery stop near a parking lot.
The plane, operated by 21 Air and en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami, appeared to have an unstable approach, video footage showed. It landed almost parallel to the ground instead of with the standard “flare” maneuver, where the nose lifts so the rear landing gear touches down first.
Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the plane was still going nearly 130 miles per hour as it reached the runway’s end. It barreled across a grassy patch, through a chain-link fence, and crumbled concrete barriers before slicing across a four-lane road, striking several vehicles. One vehicle was flipped onto its side and twisted into an arc.
“Plane’s on fire!” a first responder shouted on an emergency radio channel. “Put your game faces on.”
The Victims
At least five people were killed, and five others were injured, with three taken to a trauma center in critical condition. It is not yet clear whether those killed were on the plane, in the vehicles struck during the crash, or elsewhere.
Rescue workers used a ladder to access the plane’s interior through a cockpit window. Several victims trapped in vehicles were extracted by firefighters.
The Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. About a dozen NTSB investigators are surveying the wreckage. NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson told CNN that local first responders were on scene as well.
The pilots did not inform air traffic controllers of any problems prior to landing, air traffic control audio indicated. The plane had passed through a developing thunderstorm as it approached the airport, and a sudden wind change may have given the plane a tailwind that made it difficult to slow down.
The Airport’s Safety Measures
Miami International Airport lacks an Engineered Material Arresting System, a key safety feature that places concrete pads at the end of a runway designed to crush under the weight of an airplane and stop it. Many US airports have such systems in place.
Mary Schiavo, a CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general of the Department of Transportation, said: “An airport this surrounded by population, they need an arrestor bed system at the end of these runways to stop this from happening again.”
Travel Impact
The crash scene and cleanup are causing delays. Flights headed to the South Florida hub were expected to be an average of 2.5 hours late. Two of the airport’s four runways are closed for most of Monday.
As of 10 a.m., 65 flights in or out of Miami were canceled and about 140 delayed, according to tracking site FlightAware.
The Bottom Line
An Amazon cargo plane crashed off a runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others. The Boeing 767 overshot the runway, struck vehicles, and caught fire. The NTSB is investigating. Miami airport lacks a key safety feature that could have prevented the plane from leaving airport property. The crash has caused significant travel delays.
