NTSB probes Amazon cargo jet runway overrun that killed five in Miami

Flight data indicate an Amazon cargo plane attempted to abort an unstable landing at Miami International Airport before overrunning the runway and colliding with a cleaning-service van, killing five people inside. The Boeing 767, operated by 21 Air, landed after a two-hour flight from Puerto Rico as storms approached the airport. Investigators said the aircraft travelled about 1,300 feet beyond the runway end, struck the van, breached a fence and then hit an SUV on a nearby street.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the agency is reviewing flight-data and cockpit recordings and will interview the pilot and co-pilot on Wednesday. She noted that thrust reversers were not deployed and that the crew appeared to briefly attempt a go-around before abandoning the effort.

"A go-around probably should have been executed sooner than that. And it seems like they hesitated," former FAA official Mike O’Donnell said.

The five victims were employees of Professional Ocean Service Corp., a company that provides aircraft-cleaning services. Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said the victims were identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Five others were injured, with two remaining in critical condition.

Amazon issued a statement expressing cooperation with the investigation and offering condolences to the families. The NTSB will also examine whether Miami’s lack of an engineered arresting system at runway ends contributed to the incident, though the airport meets FAA buffer-space requirements. The crash prompted the cancellation of more than 225 flights and numerous delays, but runway operations have since resumed.

The investigation is ongoing, and a final report with safety recommendations is expected within a year.