Fatal crash at Miami International Airport
An Amazon Air cargo plane overran a runway while attempting to land at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking multiple vehicles and bursting into flames, authorities said. At least five people were killed and five others injured, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed at a news conference on Sunday evening.
The Boeing 767-300, operating as Prime Air Flight 7598, arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and overran the airport's diagonal runway shortly before 2 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft came to rest near the northwest end of the airport, beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, and caught fire as a result of the crash, officials said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied "Ray" Jadallah said crews arrived to find the aircraft "caught on fire... with heavy flames and smoke showing." Over 60 fire rescue units and more than 200 firefighters responded to the scene. Jadallah said several people were trapped inside or under vehicles on the ground and needed to be extricated by rescue crews. The pilot and co-pilot were also trapped in the cockpit and were rescued by the technical rescue team, he said.
Three of the five injured people were in critical condition and were transported to a trauma centre, while two others were taken to a local hospital, Jadallah said. The mayor said all were taken to hospital with "unknown injuries."
Investigation underway
Officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, which will be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB said in a post on X that it had "launched a go team to investigate Sunday's runway excursion accident." The FAA also said it would investigate.
The aircraft was operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. According to flight-tracking site Flightradar24, the 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and was converted to a cargo plane in 2015. The flight departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement: "We're heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today's incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss." Nantel said the company was "working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened" and would cooperate fully with any investigation.
Airport operations disrupted
The crash led to the closure of all runways and taxiways at Miami International Airport, one of the nation's busiest travel hubs, over the Labor Day weekend. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a "full ground stop" at the airport while first responders assessed the scene. By late Sunday afternoon, about 250 flights had been delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. Some flights were diverted to other airports, and officials warned that delays were likely to persist even after the airport reopened.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz called the scene "really tragic" but said there was "no apparent threat to public safety." Fire crews continued to deal with a fuel leak on the aircraft several hours after the crash. Passengers at the airport reported frustration over a lack of information, with long lines at airline counters as travellers tried to reschedule flights, according to the BBC.