Federal investigators are examining runway safety measures and the actions of the pilots after an Amazon cargo jet overran a runway at Miami International Airport, killing five people in vehicles beyond the airport boundary.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the Boeing 767, operated by 21 Air as Flight 7598, ran beyond the end of Runway 30 while landing on Sunday, 6 September. It had flown from San Juan in Puerto Rico.
The aircraft travelled about 1,300ft beyond the paved runway before striking a van used by an aircraft-cleaning company and then hitting an SUV on a nearby road. Five other people were injured, including the pilot and co-pilot, who have since been released from hospital.
NTSB investigators are due to interview both pilots as they try to establish why the landing was continued and whether an attempt was made to abort it and carry out a go-around.
Flight data and cockpit recordings have been recovered. Investigators said the cockpit voice recorder contained more than two hours of clear audio, while the flight data recorder held about 55 hours of information.
Initial data showed no indication that the aircraft’s speed brakes or thrust reversers had been deployed, although investigators stressed that they would not speculate on why before completing a detailed performance study.
They are also examining the condition and design of the runway, weather conditions, the crew’s experience and training, and the aircraft’s history. Air traffic controllers, dispatchers and witnesses are expected to be interviewed as part of the inquiry.
A further focus is likely to be the absence at Miami International Airport of an Engineered Materials Arresting System, a bed of crushable material designed to slow aircraft that overrun a runway. The airport has a 1,000ft runway safety area, which appears to meet current federal requirements, but the NTSB has previously recommended wider use of arresting systems after runway excursions.
Jennifer Homendy, the NTSB chairwoman, said the agency was working to determine what happened in the moments before the crash and to identify measures that could prevent a similar tragedy. The investigation remains ongoing and no cause has been established.
