5 Killed After Amazon Cargo Jet Overruns Runway at Miami Airport
Five airport workers were killed when an Amazon cargo plane ran off a runway at Miami International Airport and plowed into their van. The plane then broke through the airport perimeter and struck a second vehicle outside the fence.
Five other people were injured in the Sept. 6 crash. As of Tuesday, two remained in critical condition, and one was hospitalized in stable condition. The plane’s pilot and co-pilot had been released from the hospital.
The Boeing 767 was operating as 21 Air Flight 7598 on behalf of Amazon and arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says the plane overran the end of Runway 30 at about 1:53 p.m.
Investigators now have their first information from the plane’s flight data recorder.
All Five People Killed Were Airport Workers
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At a Sept. 7 NTSB media briefing, Chair Jennifer Homendy said the plane traveled about 1,300 feet beyond the paved runway surface, striking navigational equipment and a Ford Econoline van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp. with seven people inside. The aircraft then crossed the airport perimeter fence and struck a Toyota Corolla Cross traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue.
All five people killed were in the Professional Ocean Service van. 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.
Professional Ocean Service said in a statement provided directly to CBS News Miami that its employees were “far more than the people who work beside us each day; they are family, and they are deeply loved.” The company said it was grieving with the victims’ families and supporting those who were injured.
Investigators Are Looking Closely at the Landing
Flight-recorder data released Tuesday gave investigators a more detailed picture of the plane’s final seconds. During a Sept. 8 NTSB media briefing, investigator Chihoon Shin said the nose and right main landing gear touched down about 30 seconds before the recording ended, when the plane was traveling 158 knots, or about 182 mph.
Several seconds later, the brakes were released and the throttles increased to levels consistent with a go-around, the maneuver pilots use to abandon a landing and climb away for another attempt. The throttles were then returned to idle, and the brakes were reapplied.
Shin said the recorded data showed no indication that the plane’s speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed. Both systems can help slow an aircraft after landing. The plane was still moving at 65 knots, or about 75 mph, when the recording ended.
Those findings are preliminary. The NTSB has not determined what caused the plane to overrun the runway, and its investigation remains ongoing.
Investigators are also examining the absence of an Engineered Materials Arresting System at the end of Runway 30. The FAA describes EMAS as a bed of crushable material installed beyond a runway to slow an aircraft during an overrun. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said investigators would examine the lack of such a system at Miami International.
Amazon said it is cooperating with the investigation. “Our deepest sympathies remain with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating tragedy,” company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an update published by Amazon.
