Amazon has suspended operations with cargo carrier 21 Air after a Boeing 767 operated for Amazon Air overran a runway at Miami International Airport on September 6, killing five people and injuring five others. The company said it made the decision after supporting the investigation and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the crash.
“Safety has always been our top priority, whether in our own operations or when we’re working with partners,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. Amazon said it would continue supporting investigators and those affected by the accident.
The company had previously published updates on the accident, confirming that 21 Air operated the aircraft and that Amazon was cooperating with authorities. 21 Air is an all-cargo airline that operates flights for companies including Amazon and DHL.
Investigators Examine the Runway Overrun
21 Air Flight 7598 was arriving in Miami from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the Boeing 767-300 overran Runway 30. The aircraft continued beyond the airport boundary and struck vehicles before coming to a stop.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. Investigators recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which contained more than two hours of cockpit audio and about 54 hours of flight data covering more than 400 parameters.
Preliminary information showed that one pilot repeatedly warned about the aircraft’s excessive speed during the landing. The NTSB said there was not a consistent verbal response from the other pilot even as automated altitude and other cockpit warnings sounded.
Recorded data showed the aircraft was still traveling at 96 knots after leaving the paved surface. The NTSB also said there was no indication in the recorded data that the speed brakes or thrust reversers had been deployed before the recording ended.
Five People Were Killed
Miami authorities identified those killed as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Five other people were injured.
21 Air chief executive Keith Winters previously said the company was “devastated by the accident” and was cooperating with investigators. He said its immediate priorities were supporting those affected and assisting authorities as they established what happened.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy described the crash site as a scene of “utter devastation.” The agency’s September 9 investigative update stressed that information recovered from the recorders remains preliminary and could change as the investigation continues.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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