Flight recorders of Amazon cargo plane found in Miami after crash
At Miami International Airport in the United States, investigators found the flight recorders of a Boeing 767-300 cargo plane that overran the runway during landing. Five people were killed and another five suffered serious injuries in the crash, BBC News reports.
The aircraft, operated by 21 Air, arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was making its third flight of the day. The accident occurred on Sunday shortly before 2:00 p.m. local time. Two crew members were on board.
Collision with vehicles
After overrunning the runway, the aircraft collided with airport navigation equipment and then with a white Ford van belonging to a contracted cleaning company. Seven people were in the van.
The Boeing then broke through the airport perimeter fence and collided with a Toyota Corolla carrying three passengers. The plane came to a stop about 394 metres beyond the runway. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, described the crash site as devastating: debris from the plane, vehicles and fence was scattered across the area.
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Cause of the crash under investigation
According to Homendy, recovering the victims' bodies remains a priority for the services. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be sent to NTSB headquarters for analysis.
Investigators will review the flight history, crew experience and training, radar data, and the aircraft's operating characteristics. Separate teams will examine the aircraft's systems and engines, while a meteorologist will assess weather conditions during the landing. The NTSB will also determine whether the runway should have had an EMAS system designed to slow and stop aircraft that overrun it. BBC Verify analysis showed that a thunderstorm was active near the airport shortly before the crash, with wind gusts reaching 26 knots.
After the incident, two of the airport's four runways remained closed. Amazon said it was saddened by the loss of life and was cooperating with authorities; 21 Air also said it was cooperating with the investigation.
