Flight data from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates an Amazon cargo plane attempted to abort an unsteady landing at Miami International Airport before overrunning a runway and crashing, killing five people. The September 2026 accident involving Prime Air Flight 7598 is currently under federal investigation to determine the exact sequence of events leading up to the collision with vehicles on airport property and a city street.
NTSB Investigation and Flight Data Review
National Transportation Safety Board investigators are reviewing flight data and cockpit recordings to understand what transpired in the final seconds of the flight, according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. The Amazon cargo jet, a Boeing 767, had just completed a two-hour flight from Puerto Rico amid stormy weather conditions near Miami International Airport. According to federal investigators, the aircraft barreled roughly 1,300 feet past the end of the runway before smashing into a van and an SUV.
The five fatalities were all occupants of a white van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a company that provides plane-cleaning services. Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz reported that five other people sustained injuries in the crash. The flight’s pilot and co-pilot were treated and released from the hospital, while two additional individuals remained in critical condition and a third was listed in stable condition.
Pilot Actions and Eyewitness Accounts
Former Federal Aviation Administration official Mike O’Donnell stated that the aircraft touched down on its nose and right landing gear first, indicating an unstable landing profile. O’Donnell noted that a go-around maneuver should have been executed sooner, and by the time the crew attempted to abort, insufficient runway remained. Former Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo remarked that the incident suggested potential disagreement between the pilots regarding landing execution.
Cellphone and security video captured harrowing moments from the crash site. Olvin Henriquez, a witness who captured footage near the airport, told local media that he saw a pilot jump from the cockpit door and escape on foot just as the aircraft burst into flames. An Amazon spokesperson released a statement expressing heartbreak over the fatalities and extending sympathies to the victims’ families, while confirming the company is fully cooperating with the NTSB probe.
Runway Safety Infrastructure Debate
The investigation has also drawn attention to airport safety engineering. Miami International Airport is not one of the 120 U.S. airports equipped with Engineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS)—beds of lightweight, crushable concrete designed to safely stop speeding aircraft that overrun runways. While federal aviation experts note that Miami’s airport complies with regulations by maintaining a standard 1,000-foot safety buffer at the end of its runways, NTSB Chairwoman Homendy emphasized that runway excursions continue to occur nationally and urged broader implementation of safety recommendations to prevent future tragedies.
