On a Sunday afternoon in Miami, a cargo plane carrying the weight of ordinary commerce became the site of extraordinary loss. A Boeing 767-300 operating for Amazon overran the runway at Miami International Airport after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, crossing onto a road and striking multiple vehicles before catching fire — killing at least five people and injuring five more. The aircraft, 32 years old and long converted from passenger to cargo service, came to rest far from where it should have, and the question of why it never slowed down has now passed to federal investigators. In the
Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport, killing at least five
At least five people killed and five injured, including three in critical condition; pilot and copilot trapped in aircraft; people trapped in struck vehicles.
The plane kept moving instead of slowing to a stop.
Mark
So the plane just didn't stop. It overran the runway—is that a mechanical failure, or pilot error, or something else entirely?
Mimi
Right now, nobody knows. The FAA and the NTSB are investigating. All we know is that it came in from Puerto Rico, touched down at 2 p.m., and kept going instead of decelerating. It crossed a road and hit vehicles.
Luke
And we should be clear: the cause is genuinely unknown at this point. There could be brake failure, weather, pilot error, instrument malfunction—the investigation will take weeks or months to sort out.
Mark
Five people dead, five injured. Were they all in the vehicles that got struck, or were some of them crew?
Mimi
The pilot and copilot were trapped in the plane. Some people were trapped in the vehicles the plane hit. The five injured included three in critical condition. But we don't have a full accounting yet of who was where.
Luke
And we don't know how many people were actually on the plane—crew only, or were there passengers? That detail hasn't been released.
Mark
The plane was 32 years old. Does age matter here?
Mimi
It's a fact worth noting, but age alone doesn't cause crashes. The aircraft had been converted from passenger to cargo service in 2015. It was maintained and airworthy according to the records. Whether age played any role in what happened—that's part of what investigators will examine.
Luke
Exactly. We can say it was old. We can't yet say that's why it crashed.
Mark
What happens to Miami airport now?
Mimi
Full ground stop. Significant delays across the board. The runway is closed, the area is still being cleared, and investigators need access to the scene. It's one of the busiest airports in the country, so the ripple effects will be felt for days.
Luke
And the investigation itself—how long does something like this typically take?
Mimi
The NTSB will lead it. These investigations can take months. They'll examine the aircraft, the flight data, the weather, maintenance records, crew training, everything. We'll get preliminary findings first, then a final report.
Der Puls
- A Boeing 767-300 failed to stop on landing at Miami International Airport, crossing the runway boundary and plowing into vehicles on an adjacent road at 2 p.m. on a Sunday.
- The plane erupted in fire on impact, trapping the pilot and copilot in the cockpit and leaving people locked inside struck vehicles — a scene of multiple simultaneous entrapments.
- At least five people were killed and five more injured, three of them critically, as black smoke rose visibly across the airport grounds for hours.
- More than 60 fire rescue units responded to battle the blaze and contain a persistent fuel leak, with Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah describing the scene as one of sustained urgency.
- The FAA issued a full ground stop at one of the busiest airports in the United States, with the Department of Transportation warning travelers of significant delays as the runway remained closed.
- The NTSB has opened a full investigation into the cause of the overrun, while the airline, 21 Air, and Amazon have offered no explanation for why the landing went so catastrophically wrong.
On a Sunday afternoon in Miami, a cargo plane carrying the weight of ordinary commerce became the site of extraordinary loss. A Boeing 767-300 operating for Amazon overran the runway at Miami International Airport after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, crossing onto a road and striking multiple vehicles before catching fire — killing at least five people and injuring five more. The aircraft, 32 years old and long converted from passenger to cargo service, came to rest far from where it should have, and the question of why it never slowed down has now passed to federal investigators. In the hours that followed, a major American airport fell still, and the work of understanding what happened — and at what cost — had only just begun.
On Sunday afternoon, a Boeing 767-300 cargo plane operating for Amazon touched down at Miami International Airport after a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico — and never stopped. At 2 p.m. Eastern time, the aircraft overran the runway, crossed onto a nearby road, and struck multiple vehicles in its path before catching fire. At least five people were killed. Five others were injured, three of them critically. The pilot and copilot were trapped in the cockpit. People in the struck vehicles were trapped as well.
The plane was 32 years old, having spent more than two decades in passenger service before being converted to cargo use in 2015. It was operated not by Amazon directly, but by a contractor called 21 Air. The airline confirmed the incident but offered no immediate explanation for the failed landing. Amazon said it was working with local authorities and that its priority was the care of those affected.
The crash site filled with black smoke visible across the airport. Videos showed the fuselage largely intact despite the fire, though the aircraft had come to rest far from the runway. More than 60 fire rescue units responded through the evening, working to extinguish the blaze and manage a fuel leak that persisted for hours.
The disruption rippled outward quickly. The FAA confirmed the overrun and opened an investigation. The NTSB announced it would lead a full inquiry. The Department of Transportation issued a full ground stop at Miami International — one of the busiest aviation hubs in the country — and Secretary Sean Duffy warned of significant travel delays. As night fell, the runway remained closed, the cause of the crash was unknown, and the full accounting of everyone involved had not yet been completed.
A Boeing 767 cargo plane operated for Amazon never made it to the gate at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon. At 2 p.m. Eastern time, the aircraft touched down from San Juan, Puerto Rico, but instead of slowing to a stop on the runway, it kept moving—overrunning the tarmac, crossing onto a nearby road, and plowing into multiple vehicles parked or moving in its path. The plane caught fire on impact. At least five people died. Five more were injured, three of them critically. The pilot and copilot were trapped inside the cockpit. Some of the people struck by the aircraft were trapped in their vehicles. By early evening, more than 60 fire rescue units were still on scene, working to extinguish the blaze and manage a fuel leak that persisted for hours after the crash.
The 767-300 had been flying for 32 years. It spent more than two decades as a passenger aircraft before being converted to cargo service in 2015, according to flight-tracking data. Amazon does not operate its own fleet for all cargo movements; this plane was operated by 21 Air, a contractor. The airline confirmed the incident but offered no immediate explanation for why the landing went wrong. An Amazon spokesperson said the company was working with local authorities to understand what happened and that its priority was the safety and care of those affected.
The crash site filled with black smoke visible from across the airport grounds. Videos showed the fuselage largely intact despite the fire, though the aircraft had clearly come to rest far from where it should have. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the overrun and said it was investigating the cause. The National Transportation Safety Board, which handles major transportation accidents, announced it would be leading a full investigation and would release updates as information became available.
The disruption was immediate and severe. The Department of Transportation issued a full ground stop at Miami International Airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the United States. Secretary Sean Duffy warned travelers to expect significant delays as the airport dealt with the aftermath and authorities worked to clear the runway and surrounding area. The exact number of people on board the aircraft—crew and any passengers—was not immediately disclosed.
Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah described a scene of entrapment and urgency: people locked inside vehicles that had been struck, crew members stuck in the cockpit, and a burning aircraft leaking fuel. The response was massive and sustained. As evening fell, the investigation into why the plane did not stop remained open. The cause was unknown. The runway was closed. The airport was gridlocked. And the work of accounting for everyone involved, treating the injured, and determining what went wrong had only begun.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We're working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened. Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, wellbeing, and care of everyone involved.— Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel
Some people were trapped inside motorized vehicles following the crash. The pilot and copilot were also trapped in the plane.— Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah
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