The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on Thursday detailing how the first officer of an Amazon Cargo plane repeatedly warned that the aircraft was approaching Miami International Airport at excessive speed before it overran the runway and struck two vehicles, killing five people.
The crash occurred on September 6 when 21 Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-33A freighter traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, landed on Runway 30 at approximately 1:53 p.m. local time. The aircraft failed to stop within the runway limits, crossed an airport perimeter fence and a street, and came to rest roughly 1,200 feet beyond the pavement edge.
According to the report, flight recorder data captured the first officer making multiple comments about the plane’s excessive speed throughout the landing approach. Despite these warnings, the NTSB noted there was no consistent verbal response from the captain. More than ten electronic warnings were recorded, including alerts for high sink rate and low terrain proximity.
The aircraft crossed the runway threshold at approximately 204 mph and touched down about 3,750 feet past the beginning of the runway at roughly 184 mph. Investigators found that neither the speed brakes nor the thrust reversers were deployed by the pilots to assist in slowing the aircraft.
The captain requested a go-around—pulling up for a second landing attempt—only about 15 seconds after touchdown, when merely 415 feet of runway remained. At that point, recovery was impossible.
Weather conditions at the time were stormy with winds gusting between 17 and 26 knots (19 to 29 mph). The report highlighted that air traffic control cleared the flight for landing but did not provide wind information, despite FAA regulations requiring controllers to state both wind direction and speed when a tailwind component exists on the runway.
The plane initially struck a Ford Econoline passenger van on an airport perimeter road. Five of the seven occupants in the van were killed, and two others were seriously injured. It then hit a Toyota Corolla Cross SUV on Northwest 67th Avenue, seriously injuring the sole occupant. The two pilots escaped with minor injuries.
The NTSB also revealed that this was the first time the captain and first officer had flown together. The captain had 7,267 total flight hours and had been with 21 Air since April, while the first officer had approximately 2,800 hours and joined the airline in February 2025. They had flown a previous leg from Miami to San Juan earlier that day with the first officer at the controls.
The 12-page preliminary report did not determine a cause for the crash. The NTSB stated that its final report could take between one and two years to complete. Additionally, the airport lacked a crushable-concrete overrun safety system at the end of Runway 30.
21 Air, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, said in a statement that it would continue to cooperate closely with the NTSB investigation. The company emphasized that it is reviewing the preliminary findings alongside its own internal safety protocols and will take appropriate action to improve safety based on established facts.
Pablo Rojas, an attorney representing Sebastian Perdomo Torres, a 27-year-old survivor from the van, described the report’s information as valuable but incomplete. He indicated that his client’s legal team would conduct an independent review of broader airline operations beyond the NTSB’s findings on the immediate causes of the crash.
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The fact that this was their first time flying together is concerning. Poor communication or decision-making often stems from unfamiliar crew dynamics.
I noticed the article mentions the airport lacked an EMAS safety system at the end of the runway. Shouldn’t that have been mandatory by now?
No speed brakes or thrust reversers? That defies basic safety logic for a heavy landing in a storm. Something is seriously wrong with their training.
It is heartbreaking that the first officer warned about the speed repeatedly but the captain didn’t respond. That crew resource failure seems critical here.