Five dead as a cargo jet operating for Amazon overruns the runway at Miami airport

At least five individuals lost their lives and five others sustained injuries when a cargo plane belonging to Amazon crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, according to reports from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Boeing 767-300 freighter, operated by 21 Air on behalf of the e-commerce giant, had taken off from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico earlier in the day.

Upon landing at around 2pm local time on runway 30, the aircraft failed to stop within the designated airfield boundaries. It then broke through a perimeter fence and a service road, colliding with several vehicles before bursting into flames.

Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz confirmed the fatalities and reported five injuries, including both pilots, during a press conference. The incident occurred amidst a thunderstorm with winds gusting to 26 knots and cumulonimbus formations at 2,000 feet, though the FAA has not linked these conditions to the crash. Over sixty fire units responded to contain the blaze, which generated a thick column of smoke visible from various parts of the city.

The airport was forced to close all runways and taxiways during the Labor Day weekend, one of the busiest times for air travel in the United States.

21 Air, the cargo carrier, operates under contract for Amazon Air, which does not possess its own air operator certificate. Amazon confirmed the flight was being operated on their behalf, with the company managing an extensive air network spanning 250 daily flights across 60 airports on four continents. The Federal Aviation Administration has commenced an investigation into the accident, with the National Transportation Safety Board expected to take over given the severity of the incident.

The deadliest previous accident involving Amazon's cargo network took place in February 2019, when a Boeing 767 operated by Atlas Air crashed into a bay in Texas, resulting in the death of all three crew members, an outcome attributed to pilot error by the subsequent investigation.