Amazon Cargo Jet Crashes at Miami International Airport
A cargo jet operated by Amazon crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday after overrunning the runway. The plane, which was landing from Puerto Rico, careened through a fence and smashed into an SUV on a city street. Five people were killed in the crash, all of whom were inside a van used to shuttle crews that clean planes.
The victims have been identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Narajo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and J. Reyes Quevedo, 47. The Miami-Dade sheriff's office said that the plane was traveling at a high speed when it crashed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the crash and has identified a lack of a system to slow and stop speeding jets as one of the potential causes. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated that her agency's goal is to prevent tragedies, but runway excursions continue to happen despite past recommendations.
The Amazon jet was originally built to carry passengers before being converted into a cargo plane in 2015. It had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. Two runways at the Miami airport remained closed on Tuesday while investigators gathered evidence from the crash scene.