Flight data from the Amazon Air cargo plane that crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday indicates that a pilot repeatedly warned his colleague the aircraft was traveling too fast prior to the incident, according to an update released by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The investigation found that while one pilot cautioned the other about the “excessive speed,” the response was inconsistent, even as an altitude alarm sounded in the cockpit. The Boeing 767-300 touched down at a speed of 158 knots (292km/h), a figure aviation experts have described as being on the high end for a safe landing.
The crash resulted in the deaths of five people and injured five others. The victims were identified by Miami authorities as members of a plane-cleaning crew who were inside two vehicles struck by the runaway aircraft. The deceased were identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.
The NTSB report highlighted additional automated safety warnings during the approach, including a “sink rate” callout and a “too low terrain” alert, indicating the plane was descending rapidly and flying dangerously close to the ground without being properly configured for landing.
Aviation attorney Pablo Rojas, speaking to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, described the approach as effectively “doomed.” He noted that data regarding flap deployment could also be a factor of concern, observing that the flaps were deployed much later in the sequence than typical. Rojas suggested this delay may have been a response by the pilots to the excessive speed.
After overshooting the runway, the Amazon Prime Air Flight 7598 struck ground equipment, collided with a white Ford van, and then crossed a perimeter fence before hitting a Toyota Corolla. The plane finally came to rest approximately 1,300ft (394m) beyond the end of the runway, where it burst into flames.
The NTSB continues to lead the investigation into the causes of the accident.
Amazon cargo operations are expanding rapidly. Should we expect stricter safety audits given these repeated warnings were ignored?
292km/h is dangerously fast for a landing. How does a crew miss so many terrain alerts and sink rate warnings before impact?
Pilot warned about speed but got inconsistent responses. Something was seriously wrong with cockpit resource management in that cabin.
Did the flaps deployment issue mean the pilots were too overwhelmed by speed warnings to configure the plane properly? That timeline seems critical.
Five innocent workers lost their lives. This is absolutely heartbreaking and a stark reminder of how dangerous aviation errors can be on the ground.