An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, plowing through a fence and striking multiple vehicles on a nearby road. The deadly crash killed five people, injured five others, and triggered a major investigation alongside temporary airport closures and widespread travel delays.
Prime Air Flight 7598 Runaway Crash at Miami International Airport
The incident involved a Boeing 767-300 jet operated by airline 21 Air for Amazon Prime Air as Prime Air Flight 7598. The plane departed San Juan, Puerto Rico, earlier in the day and overran the runway at Miami International Airport at about 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
After skipping across the pavement, the aircraft traveled roughly 1,300 feet past the paved surface, careening through a wire fence and smashing into several cars on a nearby road. The resulting wreckage and fire brought operations at one of the busiest airports in the US to a standstill during the busy Labour Day weekend. The Boeing 767-300 hit several vehicles before coming to rest beside a car park, then burst into flames, leaving a black cloud of smoke billowing from the aircraft as captured in a video obtained by NBC News Miami. Miami International Airport confirmed that the plane overran the diagonal runway and is disabled at the northwest end of the airport.
Jennifer Homendy Details Professional Ocean Service Corp. Van and SUV Debris
The Victims and the Complex Rescue Operation
National Transportation Safety Board Chairperson Jennifer Homendy stated Monday that the five people killed when the Amazon cargo jet ran off the runway were all inside a van carrying seven people from a cleaning company and an SUV hit outside of airport property. The van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., an airline cleaning contractor.
Homendy walked the route the Boeing 767 followed, noting tire marks from the pavement into the grass, the destroyed van carrying the cleaning crew, torn fencing, navigational equipment, and the crushed SUV outside airport property. The debris included vehicle air bags, equipment from the vehicles, the airplane, and the airport, and fencing everywhere, Homendy said. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said during a news conference that five people died and five were taken to a hospital. According to Miami-Dade County fire officials, at least three of the injured are in critical condition, USA TODAY reported, while authorities had not released their identities as of 6 p.m.
Homendy described the scene of Sunday’s crash in stark terms during a Monday briefing:
I would describe it in one word as devastating, utter devastation.— Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chairperson
Homendy noted that the airline, all told, traveled about 1,300 feet past the paved surface, and that the van with seven people inside was torn apart. The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are conducting a full investigation of the incident. WPTV learned Miami International Airport does not have an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) — a safety feature present at about 70 U.S. airports, including Boca Raton Airport, Donald J. Trump International and Martin County Airport, but not at MIA. Members of the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at Miami International Airport on Monday to begin their investigation into what caused the plane to overshoot the runway and slam into several vehicles before coming to a stop and bursting into flames on Sunday.
Federal Aviation Administration Maintains Advisory for Miami International Airport
Federal Investigation Focuses on Touchdown and Approach
That crash led to a roughly three-hour ground stop and forced officials to close all four runways and taxiways at the South Florida airport. Two of MIA’s four runways opened about three hours after the crash Sunday, and that remained the status as of Monday morning. Because of aircraft and flight crews not arriving at MIA due to the cancellations yesterday, the airport posted to its X account Monday morning that impacts to operations would continue throughout the day, urging passengers with scheduled flights to check directly with their airline for flight status updates before heading to the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration maintained an advisory for MIA on Monday, saying it was experiencing a ground delay with an average delay of two hours and 31 minutes as of about 10 a.m. Monday. At MIA, 141 flights were delayed, including 42 departures and 99 arrivals, while 65 cancellations affected 28 departures and 37 arrivals as of 10 a.m. Monday, according to Flight Aware. American Airlines said it was waiving change fees for travelers with flights to, from, or through MIA, posting more details on its website.
