An Amazon Air cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and seriously injuring five others as the aircraft struck vehicles on the ground and erupted in flames.
The Boeing 767-300, operating as 21 Air Flight 7598, was attempting to land at around 2 p.m. local time after departing from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It overran the airport’s diagonal runway and came to rest disabled at the north-west end of the airport, near a parking lot that services an Amazon warehouse and other businesses, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. The plane was travelling at 112 knots as it exited the “useable runway,” the site said.
Five people were killed and five others were injured, with three of the injured in critical condition and two hospitalised with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade County officials said at a news conference on Sunday evening. 10 total people were involved in the incident, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said rescue crews arrived at the scene within “seconds” of the crash. “Right now, our focus is on the families, those who were injured, and the ongoing response,” she said. Fire Chief Ray Jadallah described the incident as a “very complex situation” in which the plane crashed into multiple vehicles as it ran off the tarmac, trapping several people inside their vehicles. The pilot and copilot were also trapped in the cockpit.
Over 200 firefighters responded. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said crews arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire, with heavy flames and smoke showing. The flames were extinguished, but a fuel leak persisted at the site several hours after the incident, Jadallah said. Several of the injured were trapped inside or under vehicles on the ground and needed to be extricated by fire and rescue crews.
Investigation and ground stop
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered all flights grounded at Miami International Airport following the crash, and US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said his agency had issued a full ground stop, urging travellers to anticipate “significant delays.” All runways and taxiways at the airport were closed as of 3 p.m., the airport said in a statement. The Miami-Dade sheriff’s office announced street closures, saying NW 67th Avenue between NW 25th Street and NW 36th Street was closed and urging drivers to seek alternate routes.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates all air crashes in the US, said it had assembled a team to investigate and scheduled a media briefing for Monday. The FAA said it is also investigating. Officials said it is too early to know the cause of the crash.
The crash struck during Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year in the US. The Transportation Security Administration predicted that 17 million travellers would pass through US airports in the week leading up to Monday’s holiday, with 2.3 million people flying on Sunday alone. About 250 flights were delayed at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. Passengers at the airport told the BBC they were frustrated by the lack of information from officials, with many flights cancelled or delayed.
Amazon and operator respond
Amazon said the plane was operated by 21 Air, a charter company based in North Carolina. Kelly Nantel, Amazon’s Director of Corporate Global Media Relations, said the company was “heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives” and was “working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened.” “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss,” Amazon said in a statement. 21 Air has not responded to a request for comment.
The 32-year-old aircraft had been a passenger plane for more than two decades before being repurposed as a cargo carrier in 2015, according to Flightradar24. There were light thunderstorms and gusting winds in Miami at the time of the incident, the site said. Videos circulating online showed black smoke billowing from the scene near the runway, with the aircraft bearing the Amazon arrow logo on its tail. The aircraft appeared to be largely intact despite the fire.