A Boeing 767 cargo plane contracted by Amazon to fly for Prime Air overran a runway at Miami International Airport and struck ground vehicles, resulting in five fatalities among airport workers and five additional injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board released cockpit voice recordings indicating that warning systems alerted the flight crew to an unstable approach, with one pilot cautioning that the aircraft was descending too quickly. The plane made contact with the runway at approximately 180 miles per hour before the crew attempted a brief go-around, ultimately traveling roughly 1,300 feet past the runway end before colliding with parked vehicles.
Aircraft safety experts have criticized the crew’s decision to continue with the landing despite the warning signals. Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts and a retired airline captain, stated that standard training protocols call for pilots to abort and attempt another landing when facing such unstable approach conditions. The incident has intensified scrutiny of 21 Air, the lesser-known cargo carrier that operated the flight for Amazon. The company, headquartered in North Carolina and also flying for DHL, operates a fleet of eight planes for Amazon. Former 21 Air employees had previously raised concerns about the company’s safety culture, with union leadership stating they had anticipated such an accident.
The crash represents the third major accident involving a Boeing 767 flying for Amazon in recent years. A 2019 Atlas Air flight crashed near Houston, killing three people, with pilot error cited as the probable cause. A 2024 Cargojet flight overran the runway in Vancouver but resulted in no fatalities. Amazon stated that it contracts with certified carriers meeting Federal Aviation Administration standards and emphasized that safety remains its highest priority. The company’s practice of contracting with multiple smaller carriers rather than operating its own fleet drew criticism from aviation experts questioning why a major corporation would rely on smaller operators.
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