Amazon cargo plane crashes off the runway in Miami; 5 dead and 5 injured
The aeroplane, which had been flying in from San Juan, Puerto Rico, veered off the runway at around 2.00 pm on Sunday and crashed onto a road used by warehouse staff and other businesses surrounding the airport
The pilot and co-pilot of the Amazon cargo plane, which veered off the runway yesterday afternoon, 6 September, at Miami International Airport, were trapped in the cockpit whilst the aircraft’s engines were “on fire” and were rescued by the fire brigade. Five people died in the accident and five others were injured, three of whom are in a serious condition.
According to an initial account of the incident, during landing, shortly before 2.00 pm local time, the aircraft – Prime Air flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 arriving from Puerto Rico – veered off the runway, colliding with several vehicles before catching fire.
Ongoing investigation into the causes
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the launch of an investigation. Among the factors that investigators are likely to consider is the possibility that the aircraft flew too far before touching down, experts have said. Typically, the landing zone is located within the first 914 metres (3,000 feet) of a runway.
The aircraft, which came to a halt in a field adjacent to the airport and struck several vehicles, leaving “a couple of victims trapped inside”, explained the head of the Miami-Dade County Fire Department, Ray Jadallah, emphasised that “a complex rescue operation” was required. Rescuers also pulled out “the pilot and co-pilot who were trapped inside the aircraft”.
“On arrival, the crews found a plane on fire,” the fire service explained on X, adding that they had deployed over sixty units. It remains unclear why the aeroplane was unable to stop before reaching the end of the runway. According to an analysis of air traffic control audio recordings carried out by CNN, the pilots did not declare an emergency prior to landing.
