The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened an investigation into the crash of an Amazon Air cargo plane that overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, killing five people and injuring another five.
The accident occurred at 1:53 p.m. when the plane, Amazon Air Flight 7598, traveled roughly 1,300 feet past the paved runway surface and hit two vehicles and burst into flames. Victims from the crash were limited to the two vehicles the plane struck, according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
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Homendy said at a news conference on Monday that the cargo plane hit both a van with seven people inside and an SUV when it overran the runway.
“I would describe it in one word—devastating, utter devastation,” Homendy said.
The NTSB will not be determining probable cause while at the scene, Homendy said. The agency is set to hold a media briefing at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The aircraft’s flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered and later sent to the NTSB Monday evening to be evaluated, according to Homendy. The agency chair said a team of 32 people are working on the site to document the scene and collect evidence throughout the week.
Although Miami Airport halted all flights immediately after the crash, flights had resumed by Sunday evening. Dozens of flights were still canceled and delayed as of early Tuesday morning, with the airport experiencing delays averaging more than two hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control system.
Two of the airport’s four runways remain closed and will not be reopened until the plane can be removed.
Built in 1994, the plane is a Boeing 767-33 Alpha operated by Miami-based 21 Air LLC. 21 Air leases the aircraft, maintains operational control of the jet and employs the flight crew.
Amazon has roughly 104 jets in its in-service Amazon Air fleet, with 63 of them being Boeing 767 planes. Of the fleet, eight of them belong to 21 Air, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Amazon contracts 21 Air as a third-party crew, maintenance and insurance provider. Although the plane flew under the Amazon Prime Air branding and network, the e-commerce giant does not hold the air operator certificate or maintenance responsibility for the airframe.
Amazon said it would fully cooperate with any investigation in coordination with 21 Air, with the company saying it was “heartbroken” from the deaths.
“Our deepest sympathies remain with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating tragedy said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel in a statement. “Amazon leaders are also meeting with local officials, first responders, and others in the community to offer our support.”
Video of Sunday’s landing appears to show the Boeing remaining airborne well down the runway before touching down. One of the pilots involved in the crash had jumped out of the burning plane just moments after it landed.
The aircraft collided with a 2012 Ford Econoline van with seven people inside. The van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corporation, a company that cleans aircraft, according to the briefing.
According to Homendy, it was the third trip for the plane that day, having gone from Cincinnati to Miami to San Juan before heading back to Miami.
The NTSB team will look at several factors during their investigation, including crew training, the company’s procedures, air traffic controllers, pilot and controller transmissions, components of the plane and weather conditions.
Homendy called on the public to send in any photos or videos of the scene, saying those images could aid the investigation.
“We can only work to prevent the next [accident] if our recommendations at the end of an investigation are implemented,” she said. “If we are in the business of repeatedly investigating an accident or tragedy, and our recommendations are not implemented, then we’re here again and again.”
Part of the NTSB probe will examine the significance of the lack of material designed to stop runaway aircraft. Not every U.S. airport has an engineered materials arresting system, which serves as a safety bed of crushable, lightweight concrete blocks installed at the end of an airport runway to safely stop an aircraft during an overrun.
When asked whether these incidents are happening too often, Homendy stressed “one is too often for the NTSB.”
Last November, a UPS plane crashed after losing its engine during an attempted takeoff at the company’s Worldport air cargo hub in Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport.
The accident killed all three pilots and 12 people on the ground and injured another 23 people.
