Amazon cargo plane crash was ‘devastating,’ NTSB chair says

One day after an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport, crashing into vehicles and killing at least five people, it’s too soon to know what went wrong. 

In the first news briefing since the fatal incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday it has deployed a 32-person investigative team to assess every aspect of the situation, from the aircraft to its operators to the airport and weather conditions at the time of the crash. 

The harrowing incident, which saw the plane crash into fences and collide with two vehicles, one traveling inside the airport and one passenger vehicle on a road outside the airport, has rattled the flying public and safety investigators. 

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Monday the scene of the crash in Miami was “devastating.” 

Federal safety regulators broadly call these types of instances runway incursions or excursions; an excursion occurs whenever an aircraft overruns a runway, while an incursion occurs whenever an aircraft, vehicle or person is somewhere on an airport surface where they are not meant to be. Just over six months ago, an Air Canada passenger plane struck a fire truck crossing the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing the two pilots on the passenger plane. 

Asked if there are too many runway incursions and excursions today, Homendy responded that for the NTSB, “one is too many.” 

‘Hard to see’

The Amazon cargo plane was arriving in Miami from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with two crew members on board, Homendy said. It was the plane’s third flight that day; it started with a flight from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Miami, then took a round-trip from Miami to San Juan and back. 

The plane overran the runway, struck “navigational aids” and collided with a white Ford van owned by and transporting employees of an airline cleaning company. There were seven people on board the van. 

The plane then continued traveling through the airport’s perimeter fence and hit a Toyota Corolla Cross traveling on a road outside the airport, Homendy said. 

The five people killed were in those two vehicles, Homendy said at the news briefing.

The plane then crashed into another fence, which was separating an area where Tesla Robotaxis were stationed. It traveled about 1,300 feet past.

The van belonging to the cleaning company was “torn apart,” she said. The Toyota SUV had its air bags deployed. There are “components” from the vehicles, the aircraft and the airport’s navigational aids “everywhere.” 

“It’s pretty extensive,” Homendy said. “Hard to see and I’m sure it must have been very difficult for the responders, as well.”  

Recovery efforts are still underway and the scene is still hazardous because there is jet fuel all around the site of the crash, she continued. 

The plane and its operators

The plane that crashed was a Boeing 767-300, originally built as a passenger aircraft in 1994 and later converted to a freighter by a third party. The plane had its first flight in June 1994 and was delivered just a few weeks later, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Cirium listed the plane’s build location as Seattle Paine Field International Airport.

More recently, the 32-year-old plane was being operated by 21 Air, a cargo airline that contracts with Amazon’s Prime Air. It was the first freighter to feature Amazon’s “Prime Air” logo and made its debut at Seattle’s Seafair in 2016. 21 Air is based in Greensboro, North Carolina and has corporate offices in Miami. 

21 Air operates planes for Amazon Air and DHL Aviation, another shipping company, according to Cirium. It all Boeing planes, according to Cirium data, including a 747 and 757s, with the majority being 767s.

In a statement on its website, 21 Air CEO Keith Winters said the company is “devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami on 09/06.”

“Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” Winters said. “Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available.”

Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company is “working closely” with local authorities and will cooperate fully with the investigation. 

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” Nantel said in a statement Sunday. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones and all those affected by this devastating loss.”

Boeing similarly said it “extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” and said it is supporting the NTSB’s investigation.

Amazon’s fleet of cargo planes has grown extensively in the last ten years, according to Cirium data, from about 14 planes in 2016 to now more than 100. Its fleet is made up primarily of Boeing 767s, with 63 aircraft, as well as 29 Boeing 737 NGs and 11 A330s from Boeing’s European rival Airbus, according to Cirium.

Sponsored

With seven aircraft, 21 Air accounts for a small portion of Amazon’s cargo operations, according to Cirium. Air Transport International is its largest operator, with 39 aircraft, followed by Allegiant Air with 20. Alaska Airlines operates 11 cargo planes for Amazon.

The investigation

In addition to analyzing factors like weather and air traffic control, the NTSB’s 32-person investigative team will will also study Amazon’s contractual relationship with 21 Air and the history of the aging plane. Those are all routine aspects of an accident investigation. 

Without ruling anything out, Homendy said Monday there is no evidence to suggest the pilots were not able to receive information about weather or other runway conditions at the time of their landing. 

Investigators will also study whether the pilots received any notices about unusual conditions on the runway at the time of the landing, as well as the runway’s design and airport’s fire and rescue system. 

Though it’s not clear if it is connected to this incident, Homendy noted that the Miami Airport is not equipped with something called an “engineering material arresting system,” or EMAS. 

That system is a crushable, lightweight material at the end of a runway meant to safely stop an aircraft. It is in place at about 72 airports across the country, Homendy said. 

The NTSB was able to recover the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which should shed more light on what was happening inside the plane during the time of the crash. NTSB investigators are taking those devices to the agency’s D.C. headquarters today for analysis. 

The safety agency will keep investigators on the scene for the next week, Homendy said at the briefing, but the agency will not detail a probable cause during their time on the scene. 

Two of the airport’s runways are still closed as safety officials and first responders continue recovery efforts and work to remove debris and pieces of the aircraft. 

As it continues to investigate, the NTSB asked members of the public to send photos, videos or relevant information to witness@ntsb.gov.