Flight data suggests Amazon cargo jet may have attempted go-around moments before Miami runway overrun

Investigators are due to interview the pilots of the 21 Air Boeing 767 that overran the runway on Sunday, smashing into two vehicles and killing five people.

amazon Prime Air
Photo: Amazon

The Amazon Prime Air cargo jet that crashed at Miami International Airport may have attempted a go-around moments before it overran the runway, new data analysed by The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) seems to suggest.

Investigators are currently analysing the Boeing 767’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to try and establish why the jet overran the runway while landing on Sunday. Five people on the ground died, and another five were injured.

According to the NTSB, flight data seems to show the throttle increased to levels consistent with the manoeuvre about 15 seconds before recordings ended.

They are also looking at the key braking system which appears not to have deployed. While the aircraft’s wheel brakes were applied, there was “no indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed,” said NTSB lead investigator Chihoon Shin.

The cause of the incident has yet to be determined.

Miami crash investigation: latest updates

Investigators are also set to interview the pilots of the cargo plane, operating as 21 Air Flight 7598 on behalf of Amazon Prime Air. Speaking at a press conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said both have been released from hospital and are expected to be interviewed today (9 September).

She added, “The cockpit voice recorder contained more than two hours of good quality audio.” She explained that the flight data recorder had about 55 hours of data. Both black boxes were taken to the NTSB’s Washington laboratory earlier this week.

NTSB’s lead investigator Shin told reporters at the news briefing, “What we need to do is talk to the crews and get their accounts to understand how they’re manipulating the controls to get a better understanding of the situation.”

Five people killed in the Miami crash

The five people killed were all in a van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp, a company that cleans planes. 

The company released a statement on Tuesday, saying, “Our employees are far more than the people who work beside us each day, they are family, and they are deeply loved. Our hearts and prayers are with every employee and every family whose lives have been forever changed.”

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