Amazon Cargo Plane Crash Raises Questions About Air Traffic Control Procedures

An Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport on September 6 has raised questions about safety procedures. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the incident, which killed five people on the ground.

The NTSB found that an air traffic controller failed to provide wind information to the Amazon plane before it landed, despite being required by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) procedures. The controller cleared the plane for landing without disclosing the tailwind information.

According to the report, about four minutes before clearing the plane for landing, the controller had provided wind information to another flight on a different frequency. However, the Amazon plane was not receiving this information at the time of the incident.

The cargo plane, operated by 21 Air, overran the runway and struck airport navigational equipment before hitting two vehicles. One of the pilots cautioned that the plane was 'too fast' as it approached the runway, and a go-around procedure was called for after registering a sound similar to touchdown.