NTSB Investigates Fatal Amazon Cargo Jet Crash at Miami International Airport

A cargo jet operating on behalf of Amazon overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon by approximately 1,300 feet, striking ground vehicles both inside and outside the airport facility, federal safety officials stated Monday.

The collision resulted in at least five deaths and injured at least five other people. During a news conference on Monday, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy described the crash site as "utter devastation."

Federal investigators anticipate remaining at the location for at least a week, though Homendy noted that officials "will not be determining probable cause while we are on the scene." Search teams successfully recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, which were dispatched to NTSB headquarters on Monday for technical evaluation. Safety officials hope to share additional details on Tuesday.

The aircraft was completing its third flight of the day after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it overshot the runway at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday. While the flight transported Amazon cargo, the aircraft was flown by air carrier 21 Air LLC, as first reported by CNBC Business.

According to the NTSB, the landing plane initially hit a 2021 white Ford Econoline van containing seven passengers, owned by airline contract cleaning firm Professional Ocean Service Corp. The jet then breached a perimeter fence and struck a Toyota Corolla Cross passenger car outside the airport grounds. Officials confirmed that all fatalities occurred among occupants of those two vehicles. The plane continued sliding through another fence that partitioned a staging area where Tesla robotaxis were located before coming to a halt.

As part of the investigation, safety inspectors plan to review the structural relationship between the e-commerce giant and its charter operator. Homendy noted that because the transport was an Amazon cargo operation contracted to 21 Air, regulators intend to evaluate contractual safety terms, company policies, and operational oversight.

The accident generated widespread delays across Miami International Airport, which serves as the busiest airport in the United States for international freight traffic. Two of the airport's four runways remained closed following the incident, resulting in over 160 canceled flights and nearly 325 delays by late Sunday, according to FlightAware figures cited by the Associated Press.