Amazon Prime Air 767 overshoots Miami runway, killing at least 5

An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767-300 cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, crashed into multiple vehicles, and erupted in flames, killing at least five people and injuring five more, authorities said. The aircraft, operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon, had flown from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was attempting to land around 2 p.m. when it went off the runway, according to the FAA and flight tracking data from Flightradar24. Video from the scene showed thick black smoke and heavy fire, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said first responders encountered 'heavy flames' and a fuel leak.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said at an afternoon news conference that the fire had been contained and there was no ongoing threat to the public. Of the five injured, three were taken to a trauma center and two to area hospitals, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. It was not immediately clear how many people were on the plane or whether the deceased were on the ground. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a full ground stop at the airport 'while first responders assess the scene.' The plane came to rest disabled at the northwest end of the airport.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-300 freighter registered as N1997A, first delivered as a passenger jet in 1994 to the now-defunct Belgian airline Sobelair. It passed through several airlines before being converted into a freighter by a third party, not Boeing, and re-entering service in 2016. That means the plane had been operated and maintained by multiple companies over three decades before Sunday's crash, a history that will be central to the investigation led by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Boeing said it extends condolences and is supporting the NTSB investigation.

Flightradar24 data shows the plane took off from Puerto Rico at noon and reached Miami around 2 p.m. The aircraft was traveling at 112 knots as it exited the usable part of the runway, and its last recorded speed was 69 knots. Weather data shows thunderstorms and gusting winds at the time of the crash. According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue radio transmissions recorded on Broadcastify, the plane crossed 67th Avenue, a nearby road, before striking a truck. 'We have a patient trapped,' a first responder said. A command dispatcher repeatedly asked crews to enter the plane to shut down the engine, saying, 'I believe the pilots are out of the aircraft.' One pilot was later with firefighters in a parking lot, helping them shut down the engine.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an X post around 4 p.m. that 'an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air experienced an incident while attempting to land at Miami International Airport.' She called it a fast-moving situation and said Amazon was working closely with local authorities. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said HazMat units safely shut down the plane's engine, and crews used foam from specialized airport firefighting units to extinguish the flames while conducting search and rescue for pilots and co-pilots inside the cockpit.

This is the second 767 cargo plane crash in Amazon's Prime Air network. In 2019, an Atlas Air freighter flying on behalf of Amazon crashed into Trinity Bar near Houston, killing all three people on board. The NTSB determined the cause was in-flight loss of control due to pilot error. That history, combined with Sunday's crash, puts renewed focus on the safety oversight of Amazon's rapidly expanded air cargo operation and the aging converted freighters that often fly for it.

For Amazon, the crash adds to the safety record of its Prime Air network, which has now seen two 767 crashes, including the 2019 Atlas Air crash near Houston. The NTSB investigation will examine the aircraft's maintenance history, the third-party conversion, pilot actions, and weather conditions. For other operators of converted 767 freighters, the crash is a reminder that aircraft age and modification history matter as much as the airline brand painted on the fuselage. The ground stop at Miami International Airport was in place while first responders assessed the scene.