Amazon Cargo Plane Crashes at Miami Airport, Kills 5 Ground Workers

A Boeing 767 cargo jet operated for Amazon by contractor 21 Air overran a runway at Miami International Airport on September 6, killing five aircraft cleaning workers and injuring five others. Cockpit voice recordings released by the National Transportation Safety Board show pilots ignored automatic warnings that the plane was coming in too fast. The crash has sparked questions about 21 Air’s safety culture and Amazon’s reliance on smaller contract carriers.

What happened during the landing

The cargo plane, Amazon Air Flight 7598 arriving from Puerto Rico, touched down at roughly 180 miles per hour when it should have slowed further. Pilots heard automatic warnings and one pilot cautioned the other about excessive speed. Instead of aborting the landing, they pushed ahead. The plane traveled 1,300 feet past the end of the runway before hitting a white Ford Econoline van carrying seven aircraft cleaning workers, an SUV, a fence, and concrete barriers. The plane caught fire. Five workers died: Julio Pineda, 75; Rolando Alemán León, 55; Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, 53; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. All were Cuban-born immigrants. Five others were injured, including the two pilots.

Why pilots did not abort the landing

Flight data recordings show pilots attempted to increase throttle for a go-around, then reapplied brakes but never deployed speed brakes or thrust reversers. NTSB lead investigator Chihoon Shin said there was no indication these critical systems were used. Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts and a retired airline captain with 60 years of flying experience, told NPR the approach was unstable from the start. “These fellows should have gone around long before even getting close to that airport,” Aimer said. Pilots are trained to abort landings when conditions are unsafe.

Safety concerns at 21 Air and Amazon’s contractor model

The crash has raised alarms about 21 Air, the little-known carrier that operated the flight for Amazon. Former pilots have sounded alarms about the company’s safety practices before this accident, though 21 Air disputes their claims. Aimer questioned why Amazon contracts with what he called fly-by-night operations instead of operating its own fleet. “The main question would be, why is it that a major company, a very rich company like Amazon Prime, is contracting their flying to several of what I would call fly by night operations like 21 Air?” Amazon disputed that characterization but has not detailed its safety oversight of contractors.

Victims and ongoing investigation

The five workers killed were members of aircraft cleaning crews wrapping up an 8-hour shift on Labor Day weekend. Neighbor José Sigas recalled that Julio Pineda, known as “El Mago” (the Magician), performed magic tricks and handed out candy to children despite his exhausting work. Three survivors remained hospitalized in intensive care at Jackson Memorial Hospital as of September 12. The NTSB recovered cockpit voice recordings with two hours of audio and flight data spanning 55 hours. The plane was carrying approximately 32,000 pounds of contact lenses.

Final Thoughts

The crash exposes gaps in Amazon’s oversight of contract carriers and raises questions about pilot training at 21 Air. With Meyka grading Amazon a B+ and 32 analysts rating it Buy, the incident poses reputational and potential legal risks that may not yet be priced into the stock.

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