The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released preliminary details regarding the fatal crash of an Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) Boeing cargo plane at Miami International Airport on Sunday. According to an NTSB briefing, the pilots may have considered aborting the landing in the moments before impact.
The NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy, stated that the nose landing gear and the right main landing gear touched down 30 seconds before the end of the cockpit voice recording, with a ground speed of 158 knots (approximately 181 mph). The left main landing gear touched down 19 seconds before the recording ended at a speed of 134 knots (154 mph). Brakes were applied at 146 knots (168 mph) but were released 15 seconds before the end of the recording, at which point the throttles were increased to values consistent with a go-around thrust.
Despite the potential for a go-around, the NTSB noted that speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed. The brakes were reapplied 11 seconds before the recording ended, and the final ground speed at the last data frame was 65 knots (74 mph). The aircraft subsequently overshot the runway and collided with two vehicles, resulting in the deaths of five individuals.
The NTSB also provided background information on the flight crew. The captain, aged 55, was issued a type rating for the aircraft in May of this year and holds 7,145 hours of total flight time. The 37-year-old first officer received certification for the Boeing 767 in April of last year and has 2,655 hours of flying experience.
