Miami plane crash cockpit audio has revealed that one of the pilots repeatedly warned the Boeing 767 was travelling too fast as it approached the runway, moments before the aircraft overran the airfield and killed five people.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot raised concerns about the aircraft’s speed 1 minute and 42 seconds before the end of the cockpit voice recording. Further warnings were made during the remainder of the recording, but investigators said there was no consistent verbal response from the other pilot.
The 21 Air cargo flight, operating for Amazon, was landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, after travelling from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It came down on runway 30 before running beyond the paved surface and striking vehicles near the airport.
Miami plane crash cockpit audio records late go-around call
According to the NTSB’s preliminary account, the recording captured automated warnings including “sink rate” and “too low terrain” as the aircraft descended.
Sounds consistent with the aircraft touching down were recorded 31 seconds before the end of the recording. Fifteen seconds before it ended, one of the pilots called for a go-around — an attempt to abort the landing and climb away for another approach.
Flight-data recorder information showed that the aircraft’s nose and right main landing gear touched down at a groundspeed of 158 knots. The brakes were applied before being released at about 120 knots, while the throttles were increased to a setting consistent with go-around power.
Four seconds later, the throttles were reduced to idle and the brakes were applied again. The NTSB said there was no indication in the recorded data that the aircraft’s speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed.
The plane ultimately travelled roughly 1,300 feet beyond the end of the runway before striking a van carrying workers from an aircraft-cleaning company and then hitting an SUV. Five people in the van were killed and five others were injured.
The two pilots survived and have been interviewed by investigators. The NTSB said the information released from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders was preliminary and subject to change, with a formal written transcript to be prepared later in the investigation.
