5 People Died in Miami’s Amazon Plane Crash. None Were on the Plane
It was supposed to be the last few moments of another normal flight into Miami. Amazon Air Flight 7598 was approaching Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon after departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Boeing 767-300 was carrying no passengers, only its two-person flight crew and a cargo load destined for one of the country's busiest airports. Tragically, the seemingly routine landing turned into a fatal disaster.
Investigators are citing a runway overrun as the reason for the crash. The Amazon cargo plane was trying to land on runway 30, but it crossed through the airport's perimeter, struck multiple objects and vehicles, and eventually came to rest in a grassy area outside the runway. A fire broke out as emergency crews rushed toward the wreckage. Five people were killed, and five others suffered injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into what caused the crash, and officials have said that it’s far too early to determine why the plane didn’t stop.
Flight 7598 Was Returning to Miami From Puerto Rico
Flight 7598 was operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon. The flight, designated 21 Air Flight 7598, departed Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, bound for Miami International Airport.
The airplane was not a new one. In fact, the plane was 32 years old and had originally been built as a passenger aircraft before being converted to a cargo plane. It was also not Flight 7598’s first flight of the day. According to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, the Boeing 767 had already flown from Cincinnati to Miami and then from Miami to San Juan before beginning its return trip to Miami. That means investigators will have a detailed operating history to examine as they reconstruct the aircraft's final flight.
At approximately 1:53 p.m. local time, the plane touched down at Miami International Airport, just like it was supposed to do. However, it simply did not stop.
The Plane Ran Out of Runway
The Boeing 767 landed on runway 30, but proceeded to keep rolling until it moved beyond the end of the runway. Exactly why that happened remains one of the central questions of the investigation. Video of the crash has also drawn investigators' attention because it appears to show the aircraft remaining airborne relatively far down the runway before landing.
The black box and other pieces of flight technology have been recovered. They reportedly indicate that the plane was traveling at roughly 129 mph when the runway overrun took place. Investigators are retracing the plane’s approach, touchdown point, speed, braking performance, and other factors to determine what happened before the crash.
The Boeing 767 Struck Airport Equipment Before Reaching the Road
According to investigators, the plane traveled roughly 1,300 feet beyond the end of the runway, striking airport equipment before it reached the roadway on the other side of runway 30. The airplane then hit a white Ford Econoline van carrying workers from a company that provides cleaning services for airlines. At the time of the crash, seven people were in the van.
The plane continued through the fence around the airplane’s perimeter, where it struck a second vehicle, a Toyota Corolla Cross. The aircraft finally rolled into a grassy area where it came to a stop. By that point, the plane was badly damaged and on fire. What had begun as a runway overrun had become a sprawling crash scene involving an aircraft, multiple vehicles, airport equipment, fencing, and a roadway outside the airport.
Five People On the Ground Were Killed
According to the NTSB, the five people on the ground who were killed in the Miami Amazon plane crash were all in vehicles that were struck when the plane rolled through the end of the runway. Four of the fatalities were in the Ford van, according to officials, while another person was in the second vehicle. The victims ranged in age from 47 to 75.
Five other people were injured. Two suffered what officials called “minor injuries,” while three others were initially reported to be in critical condition. Both the pilot and the co-pilot were taken to a local medical facility for evaluation.
More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units and approximately 200 personnel responded to the crash. Miami International Airport temporarily halted all flights into and out of the airport following the accident. Now, the public waits to learn more about why the plane could not stop on the runway.
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