Key facts
- Amazon cargo jet overran runway at Miami International Airport on Sept. 7, 2026.
- Five people in a van were killed; two others remained in critical condition.
- Pilots repeatedly warned they were approaching too fast, according to NTSB cockpit voice recordings.
- The plane touched down awkwardly and attempted to take off again before crashing.
- Strong winds and a potential tailwind may have contributed to the crash.
- The NTSB released flight data recorder information showing an unsteady approach.
An Amazon cargo jet overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, September 7, 2026, killing five people and injuring five others. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that one of the pilots repeatedly warned his counterpart they were approaching too fast, according to a summary of cockpit voice recordings released Wednesday.
The fellow pilot never gave a consistent verbal response to the warnings. The plane touched down awkwardly, briefly attempted to take off, and then smashed into a van carrying five victims before hitting an SUV as it slid across a public road and caught fire. All five fatalities were in the van.
Information from the flight data recorder, released late Tuesday, showed the plane was unsteady as it came in to land amid strong winds. The pilots briefly disengaged the brakes and pushed the throttles up as if trying to take off again, but abandoned that attempt four seconds later. Automated warnings about the speed of descent and approaching terrain were also captured.
Former FAA official Mike O'Donnell said that at the point the pilot first called out the speed, the crew could have aborted the landing or taken other measures to slow down. Experts noted that the plane landed about halfway down the 9,360-foot runway at a high speed of approximately 185 miles per hour, with the left rear landing gear not fully settled on the concrete. This prevented the deployment of reverse thrust and speed brakes, contributing to the runway overrun.