The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) expects to release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder following a deadly Amazon Air cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport. The Boeing 767 operating as Flight 7598 overran a runway on Sunday, September 6, 2026, after arriving from Puerto Rico, tragically striking a van and resulting in five fatalities.
The Bottom Line
- The Incident: Amazon Air Flight 7598 overran a Miami International Airport runway on Sunday, September 6, 2026, colliding with a ground service van and causing five deaths.
- The Data: Investigators recovered 2 hours of good-quality audio from the cockpit voice recorder and 55 hours of flight data, which showed throttles increasing for a “go-around thrust” shortly before the end of the recording.
- Next Steps: NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy announced plans to release the voice recorder readout following interviews with the flight’s two surviving pilots.
Unpacking the Flight Data and Cockpit Audio
During a press briefing on Tuesday night, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy detailed the recovery of critical flight hardware from the wreckage. According to NTSB investigator Chihoon Shin, initial examinations of the flight data recorder show the aircraft coming in for landing. Several seconds before the recording ends, throttles increased consistent with a “go-around thrust.”
But the math tells a different story about the final seconds on the tarmac. A few seconds after the thrust increase, brakes were reapplied and continued to be applied until the recording cut out. Crucially, investigators found no indication that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed during this sequence. The cockpit voice recorder yielded approximately two hours of clear audio, while the flight data recorder captured 55 hours of operational metrics.
Cargo Manifest and Ground Impact
Operating as a key logistical link for Amazon, the Boeing 767 had departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to Homendy, the cargo plane carried roughly 32,000 pounds of predominantly contact lenses.
The tragedy unfolded when the aircraft breached the perimeter of the runway, striking a Ford Econoline van owned by an aircraft-cleaning company. Seven people were inside the vehicle at the time of the impact. The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office formally identified the five individuals who lost their lives as Rolando Aleman Leon (55), Yoel Rodriguez Narajo (53), Julio C. Pineda (75), Carlos Acosta Fajardo (53), and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo (47). The two pilots on board survived the crash, were treated for injuries, and have since been released from the hospital.
Key Incident Metrics
| Metric / Detail | Recorded Information |
|---|---|
| Date of Incident | Sunday, September 6, 2026 |
| Flight Route | San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida |
| Aircraft Type | Boeing 767 (Amazon Air Flight 7598) |
| Cargo Payload | ~32,000 pounds (mostly contact lenses) |
| Flight Recorder Data | 55 hours of flight data; 2 hours of voice audio |
| Fatalities | 5 individuals (occupants of a ground service van) |
What Comes Next in the Investigation
Federal regulators continue to piece together why a landing approach that initially signaled a missed-approach thrust ended in an overrun.
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