An Amazon cargo jet overshot the runway in Miami and killed five people. The National Transportation Safety Board released data that changes everything we thought we knew about the crash.
Authorities confirmed that key braking systems simply did not work. While the wheel brakes were applied, the speed brakes and thrust reversers stayed off. Chihoon Shin, the lead investigator, stated there was “no indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed.”
The crash happened just before 2 p.m. on Sunday. Prime Air Flight 7598, operated by 21 Air, landed from Puerto Rico and careened off the runway. It struck two vehicles and burst into flames. Two pilots escaped the wreck with minor injuries. The captain, Joseph Carroll, was 55 years old with over 7,000 flight hours. The first officer, Felipe Silva Molina, was 37 with 2,655 hours. Witnesses saw the pilots in a state of shock. Abraham Altamar, who worked nearby, told CBS about the scene. “He was shaking and a little injured in his forehead and his hand,” Altamar said.
One pilot borrowed a phone to call his wife. He told her he was safe but reportedly said, “My career is over.” Altamar gave the pilot his phone to make the call.
The pilot asked Altamar to tell his mother he was out of the plane. “Just tell my mom that I was in the accident, but I’m already out of the plane, that I’m good,” the pilot said. Investigators confirmed there was no hazardous material on board. The cargo weighed 32,222 pounds and was mainly made up of contact lenses. A flight kit was also on the plane. The carnage was severe. Five people died and five others were injured. Seven victims were in a van that was crushed on airport property. The jet then hit a civilian vehicle before stopping near a parking lot.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described the scene as “utter devastation.” She told reporters, “I would describe it in one word as devastating.”
Investigators now need to speak with the crew to understand what happened. Shin said, “What we need to do is talk to the crew and get their account to understand how they’re manipulating the controls in order to get a better understanding of the situation.”
He added that officials will not guess about what should have happened yet. “That’s something that we need a complete understanding of,” Shin said. The focus now shifts to why the brakes failed. Federal investigators are probing whether the plane landed too late to stop safely on the runway. Footage showed the huge jet lurching on its side as fires raged. Black smoke filled the sky while passersby looked on in horror.
Five lives were lost in a matter of seconds.
