Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that two key systems designed to slow down an Amazon Air Boeing 767 cargo plane were not deployed prior to it overrunning a runway at Miami International Airport. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, resulted in the plane careening off the runway and colliding with nearby vehicles, killing five people.
Lead investigator Chihoon Shin stated that evidence from the plane's black boxes indicated that neither the speed brakes, which create aerodynamic drag, nor the thrust reversers, which redirect engine air to reduce speed, were utilized. This lack of deployment is a significant focus of the ongoing investigation into the crash.
Further data from the flight recorder revealed a complex sequence of events. The NTSB noted that seven seconds after touchdown, the brakes were applied. However, eight seconds later, the brakes were released, and the throttles increased to values consistent with a "go-around" maneuver, where pilots attempt to abort a landing and go around for another approach. Despite this, the plane did not become airborne again and instead continued off the runway, traveling approximately 1,300 feet, striking a van, an airport fence, concrete barriers, and an SUV before stopping and catching fire. Five occupants of the van were killed.
