The Boeing 767, operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon, was landing at the Florida airport on Sunday, September 6, after a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It left the runway, crossed a busy road and struck two vehicles before catching fire.
The five people who died were in the vehicles hit by the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The two pilots survived the crash. Three of the five injured people were reported to be in critical condition.
The aircraft travelled about 1,300 feet beyond the end of the runway before coming to a stop, NTSB officials said. More than 60 emergency vehicles responded as firefighters battled the flames and searched the crash site.
Investigators have recovered the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. The devices are being taken to Washington for analysis and could provide important information about what happened during the final moments of the flight.
Early information has raised questions about the aircraft’s speed and its approach to the runway. Flight-tracking data indicated the plane was travelling at a high speed before it ran off the runway. Investigators are also examining the weather, the actions of the flight crew, the aircraft’s systems and the airport’s runway safety measures.
The airport did not have an engineered materials arresting system, or EMAS, at the end of the runway. Such systems are designed to slow down aircraft that leave a runway, but officials have not said that its absence caused the crash.
The crash disrupted operations at Miami International Airport, with flights delayed and cancelled. Some runway operations remained affected as investigators continued their work.
The NTSB has sent a team of investigators to the scene and said determining the exact cause of the crash could take time.
Amazon and 21 Air have said they are cooperating with investigators and expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
