Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport; at least 5 killed

A cargo plane carrying Amazon packages failed to stop on the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, tearing across the tarmac and plowing into vehicles parked nearby. At least five people died in the collision, and five others were hurt. Three of the injured were rushed to a trauma center in critical condition. The crash forced the airport to halt all departures for roughly three hours while emergency crews worked the scene.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-300 operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based carrier that handles Amazon Prime Air shipments. The plane had originally been built as a passenger aircraft and had flown for several commercial airlines before being converted to cargo service in 2015. By the time of the crash, it was 32 years old. When the 767 overran the runway and came to rest in an adjacent field, it was engulfed in flames and releasing thick smoke into the air.

More than 60 units from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the emergency. The plane had struck multiple vehicles near the 2100 block of Northwest 42nd Avenue, and crews found themselves managing a layered crisis: extinguishing an active fire, searching the cockpit for the pilot and co-pilot, locating and treating injured people scattered across the scene, and extracting several individuals who were trapped inside their vehicles. Specialized foam and airport firefighting equipment were deployed to combat the flames. "What we found was a very complex situation," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah. Crews also had to contend with an active fuel leak from the aircraft, which officials worked to contain. Residents and motorists in the area around 67th Avenue and 25th Street were told to stay away.

At the time of the initial response, it remained unclear whether the five fatalities were passengers or crew aboard the plane, or people on the ground near the vehicles that were struck. None of the victims had been identified by Sunday evening. The two other injured people were assessed at the scene and taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Amazon issued a statement confirming that one of its planes was involved. "We're heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today's incident at Miami International Airport," said Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson. The company pledged to cooperate fully with any investigation and said its immediate focus was on the safety and care of those affected.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop around 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Two of the airport's runways were reopened after about three hours, and the ground stop was lifted by evening. However, the disruption rippled through the system: as of Sunday night, flights arriving at Miami were running an average of six and a half hours behind schedule. The Transportation Security Administration's secretary, Sean Duffy, advised travelers to expect possible delays and cancellations.

Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations into what caused the 767 to overshoot the runway. Officials said there was no ongoing threat to public safety once the immediate emergency was contained, but the incident left a significant mark on one of the nation's busiest airports and raised questions about how a cargo aircraft could lose control on approach.