Crash details and victims

An Amazon cargo jet overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking two vehicles and killing five people on the ground. The Boeing 767, operated by 21 Air, hit a van on airport property before crashing through a fence and striking an SUV on a public street, according to officials. All five people killed were inside the van, which was carrying seven workers from Professional Ocean Service, a company that cleans planes. The Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office identified the deceased as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

Five other people were injured. Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said Tuesday that two people remained in critical condition and a third was in stable condition. The pilot and co-pilot were released from the hospital, she said. The crash sent thick black smoke into the sky and trapped the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit, as well as some occupants in cars, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah.

Investigation and flight data

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described the scene as "utter devastation," noting tire marks from the pavement into the grass, the destroyed van, torn fencing, and the crushed SUV. The plane traveled about 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the end of the runway, according to the NTSB.

Investigators recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which are being analyzed. Flight data suggest the plane attempted to abort an unsteady landing before the crash, according to information released by investigators. Homendy said the data showed the thrust reversers were never used to help stop the plane. The NTSB plans to interview the pilot and co-pilot on Wednesday.

Experts who reviewed video of the landing said the plane appeared to remain airborne well down the runway without flaring the nose to force the wheels onto the ground. Former FAA official Mike O'Donnell said the plane landed on its nose and right landing gear first, indicating an unstable landing. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said that if the plane was beyond the typical landing zone, it should have aborted the landing and gone around for another attempt. Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, said video shows the plane floating above the runway for an extended period, and a tail wind could have contributed to it floating further down the runway.

Runway safety systems

One focus of the investigation is the lack of a system to slow and stop speeding jets at the end of runways. Miami is not one of the more than 120 airports in the U.S. with lightweight, crushable material at the end of runways, which the Federal Aviation Administration says has saved around 500 lives. However, experts said Miami's airport appears to be compliant with federal rules because it has a 1,000-foot (305-meter) safety buffer at the end of its runways. Mike O'Donnell, the FAA's former director of airport safety and accident investigations, said the airport was not required to have an arresting system because of that buffer.

Homendy said her agency's goal is to prevent tragedies, but runway excursions continue to happen. "Our recommendations must be implemented or we're going to be here again," she said at a news conference.

Amazon suspends 21 Air operations

Amazon announced Sunday it was suspending its use of cargo carrier 21 Air after the crash. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the decision came after the company reviewed some of the circumstances around the crash as it supported the NTSB investigation. "After the tragic incident last weekend, we've spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we've decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598," Nantel said. Amazon said it will use other carriers to transport shipments that would have been assigned to 21 Air.

21 Air, a North Carolina-incorporated cargo carrier specializing in shipments to and from Mexico, said in a statement that it remains focused on supporting those affected by the crash and working closely with the NTSB and its partners. 21 Air CEO Keith Winters offered condolences to the families of the dead and injured and cooperation to investigators.

Airport operations and context

The crash closed the Miami airport for hours Sunday, and two of its four runways remained closed through late Tuesday evening. An airport spokesperson reported 160 cancellations and more than 300 delayed flights Sunday, plus another 69 canceled flights Monday through mid-afternoon. By late Tuesday, only one of the airport's four runways was still closed, according to officials.

The aircraft, a 32-year-old Boeing 767, was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines in foreign countries for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. The flight was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a two-hour flight, with storms brewing around the Miami area.

The crash is the second fatal cargo jet accident in the U.S. in less than a year. In October, a UPS plane crashed after losing its engine while accelerating down the runway at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing all three pilots and 12 people on the ground, with 23 more injured.