NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy described the scene of Sunday's Amazon cargo jet crash at Miami International Airport as "utter devastation". Five people were killed when the plane, a Boeing 767, ran off the runway, with one van carrying seven cleaning company employees torn apart. Investigators have recovered both the voice and data recorders from the aircraft, which traveled about 396 meters past the paved surface before crashing. The NTSB will examine various factors contributing to the crash, including the plane's speed, braking, weather conditions, and mechanical condition.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here is a summary of the news story:
At least 5 dead after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport
On Sunday afternoon, an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane, operated by 21 Air, a contract cargo carrier, overran the runway at Miami International Airport while landing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The plane crashed into multiple vehicles and burst into flames, killing at least 5 people and injuring 5 others, with 3 critically injured and 2 hospitalized with less severe injuries.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. ET, bringing operations at the airport to a halt for several hours. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the crash, which also involved a Boeing 767-300 plane.
Amazon has released a statement saying it was "heartbroken" by the loss of life and was working closely with local authorities to understand what happened. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has assembled a team to investigate the incident.
The crash is expected to have significant delays for passengers at Miami International Airport, which is one of the busiest airports in the US.
Written for “Amazon Cargo Plane Crash” on 2026-09-08,
grounded in this article and the 43 other(s) covering the same event.
Investigators recover voice and data recorders from Amazon cargo crash at Miami airport
NTSB chair calls scene 'utter devastation,' asks public for relevant video and photos
The five people killed when an Amazon cargo jet ran off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday were inside a van carrying seven people from a cleaning company and an SUV hit outside of airport property, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) chairperson said on Monday.
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chairperson → recover → Monday
Jennifer Homendy didn't detail how many people were in the SUV or where the dead were found, but she called the scene of Sunday's crash "utter devastation."
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she → detail → crash
Homendy told reporters she 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.
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Boeing → tell → property
Hard to see and I'm sure it must have been very difficult for the responders as well."
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it → see → responders
Investigators have already been able to recover both the voice and data recorders from the aircraft, she said.
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she → recover → aircraft
Van was 'torn apart'
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Van → tear → ?
The plane, all told, travelled about 396 metres past the paved surface.
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all → tell → surface
Debris was everywhere, she said.
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she → say → ?
"I would describe it in one word as devastating, utter devastation," Homendy said.
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Homendy → describe → devastation
The van with seven people inside was "torn apart," she said.
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she → tear → people
The van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., an airline cleaning contractor.
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van → own → Corp.
Homendy said the NTSB would issue more information on Tuesday, possibly including information on the speed of the plane according to the flight data recorder.
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NTSB → say → recorder
Federal investigators examining the crash spent Monday determining whether the plane touched down too late to stop safely.
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plane → examine → Monday
No safety system on Miami runways
Video of Sunday's landing appears to show the Boeing 767 remaining airborne well down the runway before touching down.
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Boeing → appear → runway
Homendy called on anyone with relevant video or photos from the crash to send their footage to the NTSB via its website.
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Homendy → call → website
Investigators will examine the plane's speed and braking, weather and wind conditions, the aircraft's mechanical condition and other factors that could have contributed to the deadly overrun.
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that → examine → overrun
The Miami airport is not equipped with engineered material arresting systems (EMAS) that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says have been installed at more than 120 airports countrywide 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
Miami's airport appears to be in compliance and wasn't required to have an arresting system because it has a 304-metre safety buffer at the end of its runways, said Mike O'Donnell, the FAA's former director of airport safety and accident investigations.
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O'Donnell → appear → safety
The NTSB's Homendy told reporters that the question of whether EMAS should be required at every airport and might have prevented Sunday's tragedy in Miami will be a key part of the NTSB investigation.
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EMAS → tell → investigation
The requirement was prompted by American Airlines Flight 1420 overrunning a runway at Little Rock National Airport in Arkansas in 1999, killing nine.
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Flight → prompt → nine
The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, images showed.
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images → come → trucks
The aircraft appeared to be resting on its belly and was largely intact despite the fire.
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aircraft → appear → fire
Plane appeared to float above runway
The typical landing zone for a plane is within the first 914 metres of a runway, experts said.
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experts → appear → runway
If the cargo jet was beyond that area, it should have aborted the landing and gone around for another try, aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said.
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Arroyo → abort → try
Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former inspector general of the U.S. 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."
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you → add → runway
History of aircraft
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.
Schiavo said the NTSB will also closely examine the maintenance history of this plane — particularly since it has a history of foreign ownership, including by a Russian company.
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it → build → company
The crash halted flights at the busy travel hub for much of the afternoon and continued into Monday.
Miami International Airport said two of its four runways remained closed in the morning and operations would be affected throughout the day because of aircraft and flight crews not arriving there due to Sunday's cancellations.
Amazon said in a statement that it would co-operate with any investigation.
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it → halt → 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 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 people were injured.
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people → injure → ?
