Amazon Air cargo plane crashes at Miami airport: five dead, five injured

An Amazon Air Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft overran the runway while landing at Miami International Airport and crashed around 14:00 local time, killing five people and seriously injuring five others.

The flight departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan and came to rest at the northwest end of MIA after overrunning the airport’s diagonal runway, the airport said. The aircraft also struck several vehicles on the ground.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news conference that at least five people died and five were injured. Miami Fire Chief Raied Jadallah said three of the injured were in critical condition; several victims were trapped in or under vehicles and had to be extricated by fire and rescue crews.

Miami Dade Fire Rescue reported that crews arrived to find the airplane on fire; flames were extinguished but a fuel leak remained at the site. More than 200 firefighters responded, according to Jadallah.

The flight was operated by charter company 21 Air. Amazon said it is working closely with local authorities, expressed condolences and confirmed the aircraft was operated by 21 Air when the incident occurred. BBC has contacted 21 Air but had not received a response.

FAA ordered all flights grounded while crews responded, and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash and hold a news conference on Monday. FlightRadar24 data show the aircraft was travelling at 112 knots (129 mph; 207 km/h) as it exited the usable runway and came to rest near a parking lot serving an Amazon warehouse and other businesses. FlightRadar24 also noted light thunderstorms and gusting winds in Miami at the time.

The crash occurred during the Labor Day holiday weekend, one of the busiest travel periods in the US; the TSA had forecast about 17 million travellers in the week leading up to Monday.