5 Killed as Amazon Cargo Plane Overruns Runway at Miami Airport
Five people were killed and five others were injured Sunday afternoon when an Amazon-branded cargo plane overran the runway while landing at Miami International Airport, skidding into a nearby field and striking multiple vehicles on an adjacent road.
What Happened
The Boeing 767-300 freighter, flying as Prime Air Flight 7598, was arriving from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it overran the runway around 2 p.m. local time. Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft traveling at roughly 128 mph when it left the pavement and continued into an adjacent field, where its tail came to rest extending over the airport's perimeter fence.
Thick black smoke rose from the wreckage as a fuel leak was reported, and the aircraft struck several vehicles traveling on a nearby road as it skidded to a stop, leaving debris scattered across the roadway and the surrounding field. More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene, and Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz briefed reporters on the early details of the runway excursion as crews worked to secure the area.
The Toll
Ten people in total were treated after the crash: five were killed, and five injured people were transported to hospitals, three of them to trauma centers. One person had to be extricated from beneath a vehicle struck by the plane after it left the runway. The names of those killed have not yet been released.
All runways and taxiways at Miami International Airport briefly closed, and a ground stop grounded flights for hours before two of the airport's four runways reopened later Sunday evening. The closures rippled through the airport's schedule, delaying and canceling flights well into the following day as crews worked to clear the wreckage and inspect the runway for damage.
Company and Investigator Response
The plane was being operated under contract by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Amazon's behalf. 21 Air CEO Keith Winters said in a statement, "Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives."
An Amazon spokesperson added that the company was "heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today's incident," and said its priority was the safety and care of everyone involved. The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a team led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to investigate, alongside the Federal Aviation Administration.
Investigators are expected to examine the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, the condition of the runway, and weather conditions at the time of landing as part of their review. No preliminary cause has been determined, and officials cautioned that a full accounting of what went wrong would take time to establish.
Part of a Difficult Stretch for Cargo Aviation
Sunday's crash adds to a run of serious incidents involving U.S. cargo carriers over the past year, including a UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville that killed 11 people after the aircraft's engine detached shortly after takeoff. Federal investigators have not linked the incidents, and the cause of Sunday's runway overrun remains unclear pending the NTSB's review of flight data and cockpit recordings.
The agency's investigations typically take a year or more to complete, though officials often release preliminary findings within the first several weeks. Miami International Airport officials said normal operations were expected to resume once federal investigators completed their initial work at the crash site, and travelers were advised to check with airlines directly for updated flight statuses in the meantime.
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