Amazon suspends use of 21 Air, cargo carrier whose plane careened off Miami runway

Amazon has suspended its partnership with cargo carrier 21 Air following a tragic incident at a Miami runway on September 6th. One of 21 Air's Boeing 767 planes, loaded with Amazon packages, crashed off the runway, killing five people and injuring five others. The devastating crash occurred as the plane approached the end of the runway at over 1300 feet past its intended landing point, ultimately smashing into a van carrying workers from a plane cleaning company.

All five fatalities were occupants of the van. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel announced the decision to pause operations with 21 Air, stating that the company would continue supporting the investigation and those affected. The North Carolina-based 21 Air had been flying Amazon packages since 2024, but had not yet responded to the news of Amazon's decision.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is expected to review various factors surrounding the incident, including the plane's ownership history, weather conditions, maintenance records, and operations by 21 Air. Flight data released by the NTSB on September 9 revealed that one of the pilots had warned his counterpart that they were traveling too fast during the landing approach.

The cockpit audio also captured automated warnings from the plane about the descent speed and approaching terrain. The full transcript of the cockpit conversation will be released later in the investigation. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally designed for passenger flights and had been operated by multiple airlines in foreign countries for over two decades before being converted into a cargo plane in 2015.