The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy held a press briefing on Monday regarding a cargo aircraft operated by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) that crashed at Miami International Airport. The incident occurred on Sunday at 1:53 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
The aircraft involved was Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) flight 7598, an Amazon Air flight arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight was operated by Miami-based 21Air LLC for Amazon and was the third flight for that specific aircraft. The plane was a Boeing 767-300 freighter.
According to Homendy, the flight overran the runway and struck navigational aids. The aircraft also collided with a white Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) van belonging to a cleaning company, which had seven occupants on board, and a Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE: TM) Corolla. Homendy stated that the aircraft traveled approximately 1,300 feet past the paved surface.
Homendy described the scene as "utter devastation" and noted that there was fuel everywhere following the incident. She stated that the NTSB will investigate the operations and human performance, the history of the accident flight, and the crew’s experience and training. The agency will also examine 21Air LLC policies and procedures, as well as the relationship between 21Air and Amazon.
The NTSB will look at Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight and Air Traffic Control, as well as the aircraft and its components. Homendy said the agency would be in Miami for at least a week to document the scene and collect perishable evidence, noting that the agency would not determine probable cause on scene.
A Boeing spokesperson offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and stated that Boeing is supporting the investigation led by the NTSB. The spokesperson noted that the specific 767-300 unit was first delivered as a passenger airplane in 1994 and was later converted to a freighter by a third party. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while 21Air CEO Keith Winters issued a statement saying the company was devastated by the incident and supporting the authorities.
