Five people were killed and five others were injured Sunday afternoon when a Boeing 767 cargo jet ran off the end of a runway at Miami International Airport and struck vehicles on the road outside the airport fence. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the crash happened at 1:58 p.m., after the aircraft overran runway 30.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the flight as 21 Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 that had departed Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The plane was operating for Amazon Prime Air.
Off the Runway & Across NW 67th Avenue
The jet ran off the airport's diagonal runway and ended up disabled at the northwest end of the airfield. Along the way it tore through the perimeter fence and crossed Northwest 67th Avenue, striking multiple vehicles, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The plane came to rest near a parking lot that serves an Amazon warehouse, where it caught fire, flight tracking service Flightradar24 reported.
Five Dead, Five Hospitalized
Officials gave the casualty count at an evening briefing. Five people were dead and five had been taken to hospitals, three of them in critical condition, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied "Ray" Jadallah.
Several of the casualties were people on the ground. One victim was trapped underneath a car and had to be pulled out by technical rescue personnel. The pilot and co-pilot were also trapped in the plane, Jadallah said, though he did not say for how long or how badly they were hurt.
Both pilots were taken to Jackson South and three other people to Jackson Memorial, a source told NBC 6. Authorities have not released the names of the dead or the injured.
The Emergency Response
More than 60 Fire Rescue units and roughly 200 personnel responded. The department said crews reached the scene within 30 seconds of the call.
Jadallah described a complex operation that combined search and rescue, extrication, and firefighting. An active fuel leak was still being worked when officials briefed reporters around 6 p.m.
The Herald, reviewing emergency radio traffic, reported that the plane's left engine was still running as firefighters fought the fire, which kept them out of the aircraft. The pilots told them the engine could not be shut down without energizing the plane, so crews flooded it with water from their hoses to kill it.
A Ground Stop & Hours of Delays
The FAA issued a ground stop at MIA around 2:30 p.m. All runways and taxiways closed at 3 p.m. Two of the airport's four runways had reopened by about 5 p.m., according to MIA spokesman Greg Chin, and the ground stop lifted around the same time.
As of roughly 4:45 p.m., FlightAware showed 275 delays and 82 cancellations at the airport. A ground delay program stayed in force into Monday morning, with an average delay of more than six hours, and flights diverted to Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Tampa.
Inspection crews later found no aircraft parts or debris on the runway itself, but the plane damaged navigational equipment on its way off the pavement.
Statements from Officials & Amazon
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said her heart is with all the families who were affected.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company was heartbroken by the deaths, that the aircraft was operated by 21 Air and was attempting to land when the crash occurred, and that Amazon would cooperate fully with any investigation.
Cordero-Stutz said there is no apparent threat to public safety, and that her agency is investigating the five deaths separately from the federal inquiry. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go-team, with Chair Jennifer Homendy serving as the board member on scene.
What Comes Next: Investigation & Accountability
There is much we do not yet know about what caused this tragedy. But an aircraft leaving the runway at a major international airport, crossing the airport perimeter and entering a roadway raises serious questions that demand a thorough investigation. Investigators will need to reconstruct the final minutes of the flight and examine the aircraft and its critical systems, maintenance history, the information available to the flight crew, weather and runway conditions, air traffic control communications, and the airport safeguards intended to protect the public in the event of a runway overrun.
The NTSB and FAA investigations will be critical to understanding what happened in this aviation accident, but a government safety investigation and a civil investigation do not necessarily serve the same purpose. For the families of those killed and the people who were injured, the questions extend beyond determining the technical cause of the crash. They deserve to know why this happened, whether it could have been prevented, and whether the actions or failures of any person or entity contributed to the loss of life.