At least five people were killed and five others were injured after an Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway upon landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Miami-Dade County officials said in an evening press conference that 21 Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 freighter operating on behalf of Amazon, crashed into several vehicles shortly before 2 p.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they are investigating the incident.
“The airplane, which was operated by 21 Air, was attempting to land when this incident occurred,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to learn more and will cooperate fully with any investigation.”
Nantel said the company’s “deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”
Amazon contracts out its cargo flights.
The incident has impacted operations in “America’s busiest airport for international freight and second busiest for international passengers,” according to the Miami airport’s website.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social media that travelers should anticipate significant delays and potential flight cancellations. A full ground stop had earlier been issued but was lifted about three hours later. Authorities said ground delays are expected until early Monday.
Here’s what we know so far.
How it unfolded
According to the FAA, Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft, departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said during the news conference that the crash happened at around 1:58 p.m. Data from tracking site Flightradar24 shows that the plane had a speed of nearly 130 mph when it left the usable portion of the diagonal runway.
It’s unclear what caused the plane to overshoot, and the NTSB and FAA are investigating. The airport’s runways and taxiways were closed, and the aircraft was left disabled at the northwest end of the airport. Some of the runways were later reopened.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, more than 60 units and approximately 200 personnel responded to the scene, arriving at the airport “to find an airplane that had stopped beyond the airport operational boundary with heavy flames and smoke showing.” Photos and videos from the scene showed black smoke billowing from the plane.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue chief Raied Jadallah said in the news conference that several people were trapped in their vehicles.
“What we found was a very complex situation here,” Jadallah said, and added that responders also conducted search and rescue of the pilot and co-pilot who were trapped in the aircraft.
What we know about the victims
Jadallah said there were a total of 10 people involved in the crash: five were killed, three are in critical condition and were transported to the trauma center, and another two were transported to a local hospital. It was not clear on Sunday evening whether those killed and injured were on the plane or on the ground.
What we know about the carrier and the plane
North Carolina-based cargo airline 21 Air began operating Boeing 767-300 freighters on behalf of Amazon in 2024. The company was founded in 2014.
Keith Winters, the airline’s CEO, said in a statement on their website that they were “devastated by the accident” and that the company’s “deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.”
Flightradar24 data shows the plane involved in the crash was a 32-year-old Boeing 767. The aircraft model is used for both passenger travel and freight delivery. The first Boeing 767 flew on Sept. 26, 1981, and started commercial operations in 1982 with United Airlines.
Amazon’s cargo flight history
Amazon Air’s cargo network oversees more than 100 aircraft and over 250 flights daily. It contracts all of its cargo flying to other operators. In its fleet are Boeing 737 and 767 planes, as well as the Airbus A330.
Citing details from aviation analytics firm Cirium, the New York Times reported that 21 Air runs eight planes for Amazon Air, while Air Transport International operates about 40 planes, and low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines operates 22.
It’s not the first plane crash involving Amazon Air. In February 2019, Atlas Air Flight 3591, a cargo plane flying from Miami to Houston, crashed into Texas’s Trinity Bay. All three people onboard were killed, and a subsequent federal investigation attributed the crash to pilot error.
Sunday’s incident is the latest high-profile crash involving a cargo aircraft in the U.S. Last November, more than a dozen people were killed after a UPS plane crashed into an industrial area in Louisville, Ky. shortly after departing Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
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