The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States announced on Monday, September 7th, that investigators have located the two black boxes of the Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that crashed. The Boeing 767 cargo plane overshot the runway by about 1,300 feet while landing at Miami International Airport, subsequently colliding with two vehicles, resulting in the deaths of 5 individuals on the ground and injuring 5 others.
NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy stated that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been found, and these two “black boxes” have been sent to the agency’s headquarters in Washington for analysis on Monday evening.
Both the captain and first officer on board survived the accident, but as of Monday, they had not yet been interviewed by investigators. Homendy emphasized that the cause of the accident has not been determined, and the NTSB will not speculate on potential causes during the on-site investigation.
The crashed aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-33A operated by 21 Air LLC for Amazon. The cargo plane had arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami on Sunday afternoon before the runway excursion of about 1,300 feet during landing.
According to the NTSB, the aircraft initially struck a 2021 white Ford Econoline van located within the airport premises, carrying 7 cleaning personnel from Professional Ocean Service Corp., a company providing cleaning services for airlines.
The cargo plane then broke through the airport perimeter fence and collided with a Toyota Corolla Cross driving on Northwest 67th Avenue. All 5 deceased individuals were occupants of these two ground vehicles.
Homendy mentioned that the airplane later skidded through another fence separating a zone where a Tesla autonomous taxi was parked before coming to a halt.
Describing the scene of the accident, Homendy indicated it was “a complete devastation.” She added, “You can see tire marks on the pavement stretching through the grass. There is debris everywhere. The Econoline van has been torn apart.”
She noted that the site revealed scattered parts of both vehicles and the aircraft. Reuters photos showed the cargo plane with its nose on the ground and tail raised, with apparent burn marks on the right side of the fuselage.
The accident also left 5 individuals injured, with 3 of them in critical condition.
Homendy is leading a team of 32 NTSB investigators in Miami. Besides analyzing the black boxes, examining the aircraft and on-site evidence, the NTSB will investigate whether the absence of an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) on the runway played a role in the accident outcome. Such systems help slow down aircraft in case of a runway overrun, but not all U.S. airports are equipped with them.
The NTSB will also review the operational relationship between Amazon and 21 Air.
Homendy stated, “This is Amazon’s cargo operation, but it is actually outsourced to 21 Air. We will need to understand what this relationship entails, who is responsible for what, and what safety provisions may be included in related contracts or policies.”
The NTSB has also urged the public to provide photos or videos of the accident scene to assist in the investigation.
The cargo plane had previously flown from Cincinnati to Miami and Miami to San Juan on the day of the accident, with the crash occurring during the third flight of the day at 1:53 pm Eastern Time.
Following the accident, Miami International Airport temporarily halted all flights, resuming limited operations Sunday night. As of Monday, two out of four runways remained closed, with personnel continuing to clear the scene and aircraft of aviation fuel.
According to FlightAware data, as of Sunday night, the incident had led to over 160 flight cancellations and 325 delays, with continued flight cancellations on Monday due to aircraft and crew members failing to arrive.
Miami International Airport is the largest airport in the United States for international cargo volume. The NTSB stated that investigators are expected to work at the site for at least one week and aim to release more information about the accident investigation on Tuesday.