Amazon cargo plane crash victims were in vehicles that were hit, NTSB says

The National Transportation Safety Board provided an update Monday afternoon on its investigation into what caused an Amazon cargo plane to overshoot a runway at Miami International Airport and crash into two vehicles before coming to a stop and bursting into flames on Sunday. 

Five people were killed, and at least five others were injured, officials said. All those who were killed were in the two vehicles that were hit, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Monday during a news conference. The NTSB also said it recovered both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.

NTSB says all victims were in the 2 vehicles hit

Homendy said the flight, Amazon Air Flight 7598, was a Boeing 767-33 Alpha operated by 21 Air LLC. It had arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was on its third flight of the day, having gone from Cincinnati to Miami, then Miami to San Juan and back to Miami. 

The plane overran runway 30 on landing, struck navigational aids and hit a 2012 white Ford Econoline van owned by the Professional Ocean Service Corporation, a contract cleaning company for the airlines, Homendy said. Seven people were inside the van at the time.

The plane then tore through a perimeter fence and struck a Toyota Corolla Cross LE that was traveling on Northwest 67 Avenue. It continued into the grass and hit another fence line in an area where Tesla robotaxis were stationed. In total, the plane traveled about 1,300 feet past the paved surface, Homendy said.

Homendy said all victims were in those two vehicles. The van was inside the airport, while the Toyota was outside.

Two of the injured victims were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Their conditions are unknown, while the other three victims were taken to Jackson's Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said.

Cellphone video shows first responders finding a person alive inside the crushed Toyota. 

"I would describe it in one word: devastating, utter devastation," Homendy said. "The Econoline van is torn apart. You can see airbags, the surrounding airbags. You can see components from vehicles, both passenger vehicles and the aircraft itself. Certainly navigation components, some debris from the airport, and then certainly fencing everywhere. It's pretty extensive."

Witnesses recalled the horrifying moments they saw smoke and flames billowing from the plane as they drove past the airport.

"You look, and you just see black smoke everywhere. It was just absolutely insane. It looked like something from a movie," said Grace Mercado.

One video captured by a witness shows first responders helping people exit the plane as firefighters douse the aircraft.

The quick response from first responders is garnering praise from local leaders.

"We are so, so very proud of our Miami-Dade Fire Rescue; they had a record response time of 30 seconds, and our sheriff's office did an incredible job out there investigating," said Commissioner Natalie Milan Orbis, who represents District 6 in Miami-Dade County.

CBS News Miami reached out to the owner of Professional Ocean Service Corporation, the cleaning company that owns the passenger van impacted by the crash, and they declined to comment on the situation. 

NTSB says it recovered recorders inside the plane

The NTSB said it has recovered both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Both were being sent to NTSB headquarters for download and analysis. Homendy said the agency has some speed data from other sources but wants to confirm it against the flight data recorder before releasing it. 

The agency has 32 people on the ground. Homendy said investigators could not fully access the aircraft yet because recovery operations were still ongoing and fuel was being removed from the plane.

No interviews have been conducted yet. Homendy said the transportation disaster assistance team is scheduling them, but she said she had not yet confirmed who they had been in contact with.

What NTSB says it is looking for as it continues to investigate

Starting the next day, the team will break into specialized groups covering human performance, airplane systems, power plants, air traffic control, aircraft performance, structures, meteorology and airport survival factors.

One area investigators will examine is whether an Engineered Materials Arresting System, known as EMAS, should have been installed at the end of the runway and whether it could have made a difference. The EMAS is a crushable, lightweight material placed at the end of a runway designed to safely stop an aircraft that overruns it. Homendy said it is not required at every airport.

Investigators will also look at the contractual relationship between Amazon and 21 Air.

"This is an Amazon operation for transporting cargo, but it's actually contracted to 21 Air," Homendy said. "We're going to want to see what that relationship is, who does what, what safety provisions might be in any sort of contracts or any sort of policies."

The plane was manufactured in 1994. Homendy said the age and ownership history of the aircraft would be examined as part of the investigation.

Homendy said the NTSB would not be determining probable cause while on scene. The agency's goal at this stage is to document the scene and collect perishable evidence. She said the team expects to be on the ground for at least a week.

She also addressed the broader pattern of runway excursions, saying the NTSB has investigated more than 3,000 such incidents since 2008.

"We can only work to prevent the next one if our recommendations at the end of an investigation are implemented," Homendy said. "If we are in the business of repeatedly investigating an accident or tragedy and our recommendations are not implemented, then we're here again and again and again."

Homendy thanked federal, state, and local officials for their assistance in the incident, as well as expressing her condolences to the families.

The NTSB said it plans to hold another briefing on Tuesday. Anyone with photos or videos relevant to the investigation was asked to submit them to witness@ntsb.gov.