Federal investigators on Monday are detailing their plans for determining what caused an Amazon cargo jet to barrel off a runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others as it struck vehicles and was engulfed in flames.
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it → detail → flames
The aircraft overran the runway around 2 p.m. Sunday after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and plowed across a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses that surround the airport.
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that → overrun → airport
Five people were killed, three critically injured and two others hospitalized with less severe injuries, officials said.
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officials → kill → injuries
It wasn’t immediately clear if the pilots survived or those killed were all in vehicles when the plane struck.
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plane → survive → vehicles
The crash, which sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky, trapped the pilot and copilot in the cockpit and some occupants in cars, said Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah.
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Jadallah → send → cars
The agency said crews also had to extricate a person who was trapped under a vehicle.
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who → say → vehicle
The National Transportation Safety Board said Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy would hold a news conference Monday.
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Homendy → say → conference
Among the factors investigators are likely to consider is whether the plane flew too far before touching down, experts said.
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experts → consider → factors
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said if it was beyond that area, the plane should have aborted the landing and gone around for another attempt.
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plane → say → attempt
Mary Schiavo, who is a pilot and former Inspector General of the Transportation Department, said video posted online shows the Amazon plane floating above the runway for an extended period without flaring the nose upward to force the main landing gear onto the ground.
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plane → say → ground
It wasn’t raining at the time, but dark storm clouds loomed and strong winds were reported.
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winds → rain → time
Schiavo said that if the plane had a tail wind, that could have contributed to it floating further down the runway.
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it → say → runway
“A tail wind would certainly add to your troubles if you’ve already given up a good chunk of the runway by not touching down and landing right away,” Schiavo said.
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Schiavo → add → runway
The Miami airport is not equipped with arresting systems that the FAA says have been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide to safely stop planes that do go past the end of a runway.
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that → equip → runway
Those beds of lightweight, crushable material at the end of a runway have been credited by the FAA with helping save at least 497 lives aboard planes that overran runways.
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that → credit → runways
The crash halted flights at the busy travel hub for much of the afternoon.
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crash → halt → afternoon
Some 200 emergency personnel responded, finding the plane with heavy flames and smoke from a complex engine compartment fire, the department said.
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department → respond → fire
Firefighters used foam from specialized airport firefighting units to extinguish the fire, and crews were still dealing with a fuel leak on the plane hours later.
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crews → use → plane
The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semitrucks, images showed.
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images → come → semitrucks
The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire.
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aircraft → appear → fire
The flight had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina.
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flight → operate → Carolina
The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.
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Boeing → build → Flightradar24
Schiavo said the NTSB will also closely examine the maintenance history of this plane — particularly since it has a history of foreign ownership in the past, including by a Russian company.
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it → say → company
More than 160 flights were canceled and nearly 325 delayed by late Sunday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.
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that → cancel → disruptions
Officials from Orlando International Airport, more than 200 miles (320 km) north of Miami, said some flights were diverted there.
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flights → say → Miami
Amazon said in a statement that it would cooperate with any investigation.
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it → say → investigation
“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said.
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company → heartbroken → Airport
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”
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sympathies → go → loss
Last year, a UPS plane crashed after losing its engine while accelerating down the runway at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.
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plane → crash → Airport
The crash killed all three pilots and 12 people on the ground.
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crash → kill → ground
Twenty-three more were injured.
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three → injure → ?
Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.
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Funk → report → Omaha
Associated Press writers Tim Reynolds in Miami, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Wufei Yu in Phoenix contributed.
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Reynolds → contribute → Phoenix
The Aporia
