5 Dead After Amazon Cargo Plane Overshoots Runway at Miami Airport

At least five people died and five others sustained injuries after an Amazon, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport, crashing into vehicles and igniting a severe fire. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched a joint federal investigation into the incident.

Here is the math. The 32-year-old aircraft, operated by 21 Air, touched down after a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, but failed to stop within the paved perimeter. According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, the freighter exited the usable runway at 112 knots and traveled approximately 1,300 feet past the pavement. The plane struck two vehicles on a nearby road, including a Ford Econoline van carrying seven people. All five fatalities were occupants of that contract cleaning van, according to Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz.

The Bottom Line

Unpacking the Flight Data and Braking Sequence

During a federal press briefing, NTSB lead investigator Chihoon Shin outlined the cockpit voice and flight data recorder readouts. The aircraft’s right landing gear touched down first, followed seconds later by the left. Initial braking was applied immediately upon touchdown.

https://x.com/amazonnews/status/2096692490695004235

Yet, the data indicates that brakes were released roughly 15 seconds before the recording ended. Throttles were then advanced to settings consistent with go-around thrust. Just 11 seconds before the end of the recording, braking systems were re-engaged. The plane was still traveling at 65 knots—about 74 miles per hour—when the data recording ceased.

Weather data from the National Weather Service confirms thunderstorms and wind gusts reaching up to 30 mph (48 kph) were present at the airfield during the time of the landing. Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former inspector general of the Transportation Department, noted in contemporaneous reporting that online video footage showed the aircraft floating above the runway surface for an extended duration before attempting to touch down.

Infrastructure and Fleet Metrics

Metric / Parameter	Reported Data
Aircraft Model	Boeing 767-300 Freighter (Registered N1997A)
Aircraft Age	32 years (Delivered in 1994 as passenger jet; converted in 2015/2016)
Flight Origin	San Juan, Puerto Rico (Arrived ~2 p.m. local time)
Casualties	5 dead, 5 injured (3 treated at trauma centers)
Airport Impact	2 of 4 runways closed; FAA reported minimum 5-hour passenger delays

According to Reuters, the aircraft was originally manufactured in 1994 and operated as a passenger aircraft for various carriers before undergoing third-party freighter conversion. The NTSB confirmed that a team of 32 investigators is processing the site, focusing heavily on mechanical systems, crew telemetry, and ground infrastructure.

Photo: apnews.com

The NTSB intends to release a complete transcript readout of the cockpit voice recorder. Meanwhile, operational recovery at the airport proceeds as fuel remediation and aircraft removal operations continue.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.