A van for a local Miami cleaning services company carrying seven people was among two vehicles struck in the deadly airplane crash at Miami International Airport on Sunday after an Amazon-branded cargo plane overran a runway and erupted in flames, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The 2012 white Ford Econoline van was beyond the end of the runway when the plane shot off the tarmac and crushed the vehicle, before leaving the airport grounds and striking a small Toyota SUV traveling on Miami’s NW 67th Avenue, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a media briefing in Miami on Monday.
The incident, which resulted in five deaths and another five injured, is under scrutiny as part of an expanding investigation into why the aircraft was unable to stop. At least one survivor was trapped under vehicle wreckage and had to be extricated by emergency services.
“I want to … extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy and to the families of those who suffered serious or minor injuries. We can only imagine all that you’re going through,” Homendy said.
The aircraft ran 1,300 feet beyond the end of the runway at around 2 p.m. Sunday following a routine flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami. Homendy said the van was “torn apart” in a collision that “certainly must be devastating.”
Videos of the incident show plumes of black smoke and flames billowing from the aircraft as it was quickly swarmed by emergency personnel.
Homendy declined to comment on the condition of the crash survivors but said all victims of the incident were in the two vehicles struck by the plane.
Asked whether the NTSB had communicated with the pilot and co-pilot, the only two people aboard the plane, she said they had not yet been spoken to but that investigators were in the process of scheduling interviews.
The owner of the van, Professional Ocean Services Corp., is a cleaning firm that, according to its website, has a 15-year history of servicing aircraft, including interior cleaning and refurbishment. The company did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
It was not immediately clear how many of those traveling in the van were killed and whether there were further casualties in the second vehicle struck. The aircraft eventually came to a halt after it collided with a perimeter fence near a parking lot.
Homendy added that recovery operations were continuing and recovery of victims would take precedence over investigative work, which was also being hampered by large amounts of fuel at the site.
The runway in question has a safety area of around 1,000 feet but did not have an additional Engineered Materials Arresting System, or EMAS, which a crushable-material bed designed to slow an overrunning aircraft.
Homendy said the lack of an EMAS would be a focus of a thorough investigation which would also include intense scrutiny of the pilots, aircraft and safety standards of Amazon and its contract partner among other factors.
EMAS systems are designed to stop aircraft traveling at 70 knots or less. It is not yet clear how fast the airplane was moving when it left the runway or whether an EMAS or other safety measures would have been effective. Homendy said EMAS is currently installed at about 72 airports around the country.
“Whether that would have helped prevent this tragedy and should the EMAS be everywhere at every airport, that will be a key part of our investigation,” she said.
The Boeing 767-300, operated as an Amazon cargo flight, had departed San Juan just after 11:30 a.m. Publicly available flight data shows the aircraft had a routine day, beginning in Cincinnati before making a round trip from Miami to San Juan, with only minor deviations to avoid weather on the return flight.
Amazon earlier confirmed that the plane was contracted as part of a business relationship between Amazon and 21 Air LLC, a Miami-based carrier that operates a fleet of charter cargo planes. (Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Homendy said that the relationship between the carrier and Amazon would be one of the focuses of the investigation. “We’re going to want to see what that relationship is, who does what [and] what safety provisions might be in any sort of contracts,” she said.
An Amazon spokeswoman said the company is working closely with local authorities and officials and intends to cooperate fully with any investigation.
“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement on Sunday.
The NTSB typically releases a brief preliminary report on airplane crashes within weeks, while final reports determining the cause can take months or, in some cases, years. Those investigations consider a range of factors, including the condition of the aircraft, the pilots’ actions, weather and other potential contributing factors.
Homendy said they intend to release further information on flight data relating to the crash this week.
The affected runway remains closed and is expected to stay closed for at least another 19 hours, according to notices to airmen, or NOTAMs, which provide pilots with information about airport conditions and restrictions.
An FAA notice updated Monday afternoon said the airport remained under a Traffic Management Program because of a disabled aircraft affecting runways and taxiways. The airport was operating at reduced capacity, with flights destined for Miami experiencing average delays of more than five hours, it said.
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