The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced Monday that it has retrieved both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from an Amazon cargo aircraft that crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday. The incident resulted in five fatalities and at least five injuries.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy confirmed during a press conference that all individuals killed were occupants of two vehicles struck by the Boeing 767-33 Alpha. The aircraft, operating as Amazon Air Flight 7598 under contract by 21 Air LLC, had recently arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, marking its third flight of the day after routes from Cincinnati to Miami and back.
According to Homendy, the plane overran runway 30, damaged navigational aids, and collided with a white Ford Econoline van belonging to Professional Ocean Service Corporation, a airline cleaning contractor. Seven people were inside the van at the time of impact. The aircraft then breached a perimeter fence and hit a Toyota Corolla Cross LE on Northwest 67 Avenue before coming to rest in an area where Tesla robotaxis are stationed, traveling approximately 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface.
“I would describe it in one word: devastating, utter devastation,” Homendy said, noting the extensive damage to the van and surrounding area. Both recorders have been transported to NTSB headquarters for analysis, though the agency is awaiting confirmation of speed data from other sources before release.
Thirty-two investigators are currently on-site, but full access to the aircraft remains limited due to ongoing recovery operations and fuel removal. No interviews have been conducted yet, but the transportation disaster assistance team is scheduling them. Starting Tuesday, the team will divide into specialized groups examining human performance, aircraft systems, air traffic control, meteorology, and other factors.
Investigators will also assess whether an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) should have been installed at the end of the runway. Additionally, the contractual relationship between Amazon and 21 Air will be reviewed, along with the 1994-manufactured aircraft’s ownership history.
Homendy emphasized the importance of implementing NTSB recommendations, citing more than 3,000 runway excursion incidents investigated since 2008. The agency expects to remain at the scene for at least a week and plans to hold another briefing on Tuesday. Individuals with relevant photos or videos are urged to submit them to witness@ntsb.gov.
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Amazon’s contract with 21 Air will definitely be scrutinized. Corporate liability in these cases is always complex.
How did the aircraft get permission to taxi or land on that specific runway segment? Questions about ATC protocols will arise.
EMAS should have been installed here long ago. This seems like a preventable tragedy given the history.
Wait, the plane hit a van AND a car? That means it traveled over a thousand feet past the runway end?
Five lives lost is simply unthinkable. My heart breaks for the families of those two vehicles.