MIAMI, Sept 6 – Federal investigators began examining the wreckage of an Amazon cargo aircraft on Monday as authorities worked to determine what caused the jet to overrun a runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others.
The accident occurred at about 2 p.m. Sunday when the aircraft arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Instead of coming to a stop on the runway, the plane continued beyond it and crossed into an area near businesses and roads surrounding the airport.
Authorities said the aircraft struck vehicles during its path off the runway before bursting into flames. The crash sent a massive column of thick black smoke into the sky and prompted a large-scale emergency response.
Five people were confirmed dead. Three others suffered critical injuries, while two people were hospitalized with injuries that were described as less serious. Authorities had not immediately provided a full account of who was aboard the aircraft and who was in the vehicles hit during the crash.
It also remained unclear in the immediate aftermath whether the pilot and copilot had survived.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said the crash created an especially difficult rescue operation. The pilot and copilot became trapped in the cockpit, while other people were caught inside vehicles in the area where the aircraft came to rest.
Emergency crews also worked to free one person who was trapped underneath a vehicle, Jadallah said.
Nearly 200 emergency personnel were sent to the scene as firefighters confronted heavy flames and dense smoke. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the fire was complicated by the aircraft’s engine area, requiring specialized airport firefighting equipment and foam to bring the blaze under control.
Even after the main fire was extinguished, emergency crews continued working at the crash site because of a fuel leak from the aircraft.
Images from the scene showed the cargo plane stopped beside a roadway near two semitrucks. Despite the intensity of the fire, much of the aircraft’s fuselage appeared to remain intact. The plane appeared to be resting on its belly after leaving the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency responsible for investigating major transportation accidents, said its chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, would provide further details about the investigation at a news conference Monday.
Investigators are expected to focus on several possible factors, including the point at which the aircraft first made contact with the runway.
Aviation safety experts said one important question will be whether the plane touched down too far along the runway. Under normal landing procedures, aircraft are generally expected to reach the ground within the designated landing zone, typically within the first 3,000 feet of the runway.
Steve Arroyo, an aviation safety expert, said that if an aircraft travels significantly beyond the appropriate touchdown area without landing, the crew may need to abandon the approach and fly around for another attempt rather than continuing the landing.
Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said video circulating online appeared to show the cargo plane remaining above the runway for an unusually long period.
According to Schiavo, the aircraft seemed to float over the runway without immediately completing its landing. She said investigators would need to determine whether weather conditions, wind or other operational factors affected the approach.
There was no rain at the airport when the crash occurred, although dark storm clouds were present in the area and strong winds had been reported.
Schiavo said a tailwind could have contributed to the aircraft traveling farther along the runway before touching down. A tailwind can increase the distance an aircraft needs to stop, particularly if it has already used a substantial portion of the runway before its wheels reach the ground.
The airport’s safety infrastructure is also expected to draw attention during the investigation. Miami International Airport does not have an engineered arresting system at the end of the runway, according to information previously provided by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Such systems use beds of lightweight, crushable material designed to slow and stop aircraft that travel beyond the end of a runway. The FAA says these systems have been installed at more than 120 airports across the United States and have helped prevent potentially deadly outcomes in numerous runway overruns.
Whether the absence of such a system played any role in the consequences of Sunday’s accident is likely to be examined as investigators reconstruct the sequence of events.
The aircraft was operating for Amazon’s Prime Air network, although the flight itself was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo airline.
Flight-tracking information identified the aircraft as a Boeing 767 that was about 32 years old. The jet was originally manufactured as a passenger aircraft and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted into a cargo plane in 2015.
The aircraft’s maintenance and ownership history is also expected to receive close scrutiny. Schiavo said investigators would likely examine maintenance records and the plane’s previous ownership, including a period in which it was owned by a Russian company.
Amazon said it would cooperate with authorities as the investigation moved forward.
The company said it was devastated by the loss of life and extended its sympathies to the families and loved ones of those killed, as well as everyone affected by the crash.
The accident caused major disruption at Miami International Airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the United States. Flight operations were halted for much of Sunday afternoon as emergency responders worked around the damaged aircraft.
According to FlightAware, more than 160 flights had been canceled and nearly 325 others delayed by late Sunday. The disruption extended beyond South Florida, with officials at Orlando International Airport saying some flights were diverted there.
The Miami crash comes as recent cargo aircraft accidents continue to raise questions about aviation safety and emergency preparedness.
Last year, a UPS cargo aircraft crashed during takeoff at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport after losing an engine while accelerating down the runway. All three pilots aboard the aircraft were killed, along with 12 people on the ground. Another 23 people were injured.
As the investigation into the Miami crash begins, federal authorities will analyze the aircraft’s condition, flight data, crew actions, weather conditions and runway environment to establish how the deadly accident unfolded.
The process could take months, and investigators have warned in previous aviation accidents that determining a probable cause requires a detailed examination of the evidence rather than early conclusions based on video or initial witness accounts.