The NTSB says the Amazon cargo jet crew survived the Miami crash that killed five people on the ground and injured five others.
The crew aboard an Amazon Prime Air cargo jet survived the deadly Miami International Airport crash, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed as investigators revealed new details about the victims.
The Boeing 767 cargo plane overran a runway while landing Sunday, September 6, at Miami International Airport before crashing through the airport perimeter and striking vehicles.
Five people were killed and five others were injured in the disaster, according to authorities. The NTSB said all of the fatalities were people on the ground rather than members of the aircraft crew.
Amazon cargo jet crew survives crash
The two people aboard the Amazon cargo aircraft survived the crash, according to the latest NTSB information.
The aircraft was operated by 21 Air for Amazon’s Prime Air operation and had been flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami when it overran the runway.
The plane traveled roughly 1,300 feet beyond the runway before striking a cleaning-crew van and another vehicle. The aircraft eventually came to rest in a grassy area and caught fire.
Investigators have not yet interviewed the pilots as they work to determine exactly what caused the aircraft to leave the runway.
Five victims were on the ground
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the five people who died were in vehicles struck by the cargo jet.
Seven people were inside a Ford Econoline van operated by a company that provides aircraft-cleaning services. The plane struck the van before continuing through the airport perimeter, where it hit another vehicle.
The identities of the victims had not yet been publicly released in the initial NTSB update.
Five additional people were injured, including several who were reported to be in critical condition.
NTSB calls crash site ‘utter devastation’
Homendy described the scene investigators encountered at Miami International Airport as extremely severe.
The crash left debris scattered across the area, while the cleaning van was heavily damaged after being struck by the aircraft.
Investigators have now deployed a large team to examine the wreckage and reconstruct the final moments of the landing.
The NTSB is examining multiple factors, including the aircraft’s speed, braking performance, weather conditions and mechanical condition.
Flight recorders recovered
Investigators recovered both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as the aircraft’s black boxes.
The devices are expected to provide crucial information about what happened during the landing and whether any mechanical or operational problems contributed to the runway overrun.
The NTSB said the recorders were being analyzed as investigators continued their work.
The agency has not yet determined a cause for the crash.
Investigation continues at Miami airport
The Amazon cargo jet crash has prompted a major federal investigation involving the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration.
Investigators are examining why the Boeing 767 failed to stop on the runway and whether the aircraft touched down too far along the runway to stop safely.
The crash also raised questions about runway safety features at Miami International Airport, including the absence of an Engineered Materials Arresting System, although investigators have not said that factor caused the accident.
For now, officials are urging caution as the investigation continues.
The confirmation that the two crew members survived provides one important piece of information following the tragedy, but investigators still face the larger task of determining why the Amazon cargo jet overran the runway and crashed into vehicles, killing five people on the ground.
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