Federal investigators are looking into the cause of an Amazon cargo jet crash at Miami International Airport, focusing on the aircraft's speed, braking performance, and weather conditions. The Boeing 767 overran the runway on Sunday afternoon after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, resulting in five fatalities and five injuries, three of which were critical. Video footage suggests the plane may have landed too fast and too far down the runway to stop effectively.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a specialized team, led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, to Miami to conduct the investigation. Key areas of inquiry include the plane's touchdown point, the performance of its thrust reversers and spoilers, anti-skid function, and landing weight. Authorities will also consider why pilots might not have aborted the landing and attempted a go-around if the touchdown was beyond the normal zone.
According to tracking data, the aircraft was still moving at 112 knots (approximately 129 miles per hour or 207 kilometers per hour) when it left the usable runway surface. Meteorological reports for the time of landing indicated thunderstorms over the airport, with winds from 190 degrees at 17 knots gusting to 26 knots, and cumulonimbus clouds at 2,000 feet. The crash involved the plane plowing across a road used by warehouse workers and businesses, striking vehicles, and ultimately coming to rest near a parking lot, with thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded with over 60 units and 200 personnel, managing a fuel leak and extricating one person from beneath a struck vehicle. The two pilots of the aircraft survived.
