Miami crash raises concerns about the jet's operator, and why it's flying for Amazon
In the moments before an Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, automatic warning signals were blaring in the cockpit.
asserted
signals → raise → cockpit
One pilot warned the other that the plane was coming in too fast, according to details of the cockpit voice recordings released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board.
uncertain
plane → warn → Board
But the flight crew pushed ahead with the landing anyway.
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crew → push → landing
"In my 60 years of flying, I've never seen such a terrible performance from a crew," said Ross Aimer, the CEO of Aero Consulting Experts, and a retired airline captain who worked in the industry for more than 40 years.
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who → see → years
The plane was traveling roughly 180 miles per hour when it touched down awkwardly on the runway, flight data recordings showed.
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recordings → travel → runway
The pilots tried briefly to take off again before the plane hurtled roughly 1300 feet past the end of the runway and smashed into two vehicles on the ground.
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plane → try → ground
Five people were killed, all of them workers for a company that cleans planes.
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that → kill → planes
Five more were injured.
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Five → injure → ?
"It was a very, very unstable approach from the beginning, from the get go," Aimer told NPR.
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Aimer → tell → NPR
In that situation, he says, pilots are trained to go around and attempt the landing again.
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pilots → say → landing
"These fellows should have gone around long before even getting close to that airport."
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fellows → go → airport
The cargo plane crash in Miami is raising concerns about the safety culture at 21 Air, the little-known carrier that operated the flight for Amazon.
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that → raise → Amazon
Former pilots were sounding alarms about the company's safety practices long before Sunday's accident, though the company disputes their claims.
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company → sound → claims
It's also prompting questions about the retail giant's practice of contracting with multiple smaller carriers instead of operating its own fleet of planes.
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It → prompt → planes
"The main question would be," Aimer said, "why is it that a major company, a very rich company like Amazon Prime, is contracting their flying to several of what I would call fly by night operations like 21 Air?"
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I → say → Air
Amazon vigorously disputed that characterization.
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Amazon → dispute → characterization
An Amazon spokesperson says its carrier model is standard practice across the aviation industry, and that it contracts with carriers that are certified by air safety regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration.
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that → say → Administration
"Nothing is more important to us than safety — this includes the safety of the people who operate flights in our network, the safety of the communities around the airports we use, and the safety of the people who handle our cargo," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to NPR.
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Nantel → include → NPR
The Miami crash is the third major accident involving a 767 flying for Amazon.
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crash → involve → Amazon
In 2019, a flight operated by Atlas Air crashed into Trinity Bay during its approach to Houston, killing the two crew members and one passenger on board.
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flight → operate → board
The NTSB found the probable cause was pilot error.
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cause → find → ?
(Atlas Air is still a major cargo airline, but no longer operates flights for Amazon.)
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Air → operate → Amazon
In 2024, another Boeing 767 flying for Amazon overran the runway at Vancouver International Airport in Canada.
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Boeing → fly → Canada
In that case, the Cargojet crew reported mechanical problems with the wing flaps on the plane.
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crew → report → plane
No one was injured during the high-speed landing.
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one → injure → landing
The plane was damaged, but later repaired and returned to service, Amazon said.
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Amazon → damage → service
Amazon is not the only shipper to suffer a deadly crash.
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Amazon → suffer → crash
In November, a UPS cargo jet exploded shortly after takeoff in Louisville, Kentucky, killing all three crew members on board and 12 people on the ground.
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jet → explode → ground
The NTSB investigation has focused on a faulty part in an engine bracket on the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.
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investigation → focus → MD-11
Amazon currently contracts with nine different air carriers, with more than 100 planes total in service, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
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Amazon → contract → Cirium
They include major names like Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air and Cargojet, as well as lesser-known carriers like 21 Air that specialize in cargo.
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that → include → cargo
21 Air operates a total of eight planes for Amazon, according to Cirium, including the Boeing 767 involved in the Miami crash.
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Air → operate → crash
The company, which is headquartered in North Carolina, also flies for DHL.
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which → headquarter → DHL
For pilots, smaller cargo airlines such as 21 Air often serve as "a stepping stone into a bigger and better job," said Aimer, who spent much of his career flying for United Airlines.
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who → serve → Airlines
"They attract guys that are not that experienced," Aimer said.
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Aimer → attract → guys
"And even if they are, they're only looking to get on to a better job, like with UPS, with FedEx."
The crew of the 21 Air flight that crashed in Miami had relatively little experience with the type of plane they were flying.
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they → look → plane
The captain had been certified on the Boeing 767 for less than five months, while the first officer had been certified on the 767 for less than 18 months, according to the NTSB.
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officer → certify → NTSB
21 Air did not reply to NPR's requests for comment.
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Air → reply → comment
But in a statement to The Wall Street Journal the company said, "Our entire organization has focused on deploying the right training, protocols and procedures in all aspects of operational safety."
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organization → say → safety
The company said it would evaluate the NTSB's findings.
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it → say → findings
…and 25 more, not listed.
