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At least five killed after Amazon Prime Air cargo flight overruns, crashes at Miami airport
The plane, that departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter.
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At least five people were killed and five were injured after an Amazon Prime Air cargo flight overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, local officials said.
Prime Air Flight 7598 overran the airport's diagonal runway shortly before 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) and struck multiple vehicles on the ground, officials said during a news conference on Sunday afternoon.
Among those injured, three are in a critical condition, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said. At least two people were trapped in vehicles that were struck by the plane, and the pilot and co-pilot were trapped inside the plane by the crash, Jadallah said, Reuters reported.
As of late afternoon, emergency personnel were still dealing with an active fuel leak from the aircraft, Jadallah added.
More than 60 units and over 200 personnel responded to the incident responded to the incident and were deployed at the scene, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. The department added that “units arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing.”
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Plane - a Boeing 767
The plane, which departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter that had operated as a passenger jet for various airlines from 1994 to 2015, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.
Shocking visuals surfaced showing an Amazon Boeing 767 cargo jet lying crashed on a road just outside Miami International Airport. The footage, shared by NBC 6, shows the massive aircraft sitting sideways across the road as thick black smoke rises from the wreckage.
Cargo airline 21 Air operated the plane for Amazon, an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
"We are devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami today," 21 Air said on its website. "Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives."
Flightradar24 said the plane was traveling at 112 knots (129 mph) when it exited the usable runway.
Investigation ordered
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates civil aviation accidents in the United States, said it had deployed a team led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to investigate the accident. The agency is expected to hold its first media briefing in Miami on Monday.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company was still gathering information about what happened and was working closely with local authorities and officials to determine the circumstances of the accident. She said Amazon’s immediate priority was the “safety, well-being, and care” of everyone involved.
Boeing and 21 Air also said they would cooperate with and support government investigations into the crash.
(With inputs from Reuters)
