NTSB details pilots’ delayed braking as 21 Air cargo jet operating for Amazon overruns Miami runway, killing five
A Boeing 767 cargo aircraft operated by 21 Air for Amazon overran a runway at Miami International Airport, striking a cleaning‑crew van and a vehicle on a nearby road and killing five ground workers. The aircraft carried primarily contact lenses weighing more than 32,000 pounds and no hazardous cargo. Flight data and cockpit voice recorders recovered from the site show the nose and right main gear touched down at high speed, followed by a seven‑second pause before the pilots applied brakes, a later release of the brakes and a brief thrust increase, and no activation of speed brakes or thrust reversers. The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled interviews with the captain, Joseph Carroll, and first officer, Felipe Silva Molina, and is continuing its investigation while fuel is being cleared and the aircraft remains on the airfield.
How this was covered
- Coverage peaked at 25 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
The incident underscores how critical landing‑brake procedures and aircraft systems are to preventing fatal runway overruns in cargo operations.
How this story developed
- Sep 6 Cargo Boeing 767 linked to Amazon overruns Miami runway, massive smoke plume observed
- Sep 7 Reporters now note five deaths and five injuries associated with the incident.
- Sep 7 Three of the injured remain in critical condition and the pilot and co‑pilot were reported trapped in the cockpit.
- Sep 8 NTSB retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders and sent them to its headquarters.
- Sep 9 NTSB released analysis showing pilots delayed brake application, released brakes and added thrust, and that speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed.
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