Pilots of crashed Amazon cargo plane were unaware of wind conditions

On October 1, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the pilots of a cargo plane operated by 21 Air for Amazon.com were unaware of wind conditions during the September 6 crash in Miami, which resulted in five fatalities. The preliminary report highlighted a series of likely failures, including excessive speed, unused braking systems, and missing wind information from an air traffic controller.

The Boeing 767-300 freighter, a 32-year-old aircraft that had previously served as a passenger jet, overran the runway while landing at Miami International Airport. The NTSB noted that the controller did not provide wind information as required by the FAA, and the pilots were not on the same radio frequency when the controller provided the wind data.

The captain, upon touchdown, considered aborting the landing due to indications of excessive speed, but did not acknowledge all of the first officer's comments about the plane's speed. The flight, which was the third of the day, originated from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had previously flown from Cincinnati to Miami and then to San Juan before the crash.

Amazon has since paused the use of 21 Air, while the company and 21 Air remain committed to cooperating with the ongoing NTSB investigation.