At least five people were killed and five others injured, three of them critically, when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane veered off the runway during landing at Miami International Airport and struck several vehicles on the ground. The incident occurred on Sunday at around 2:00 PM local time when Flight 7598, operated by Atlas Air, overran the airport's crosswind runway and hit multiple vehicles.
Miami-Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah stated that following the accident, the pilot and co-pilot inside the aircraft and two people in the impacted vehicles were trapped. More than 200 personnel across over 60 units participated in the rescue operation. Due to fuel leaking from the crashed aircraft, rescue workers continued containment efforts until the evening. All airport flights were temporarily suspended after the accident, with two of the four runways reopening by Sunday evening. The crashed aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter.
It had flown to Miami from San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft was traveling at a speed of 112 knots when it veered off the runway. The aircraft had been used as a passenger plane from 1994 to 2015. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed the casualties and expressed condolences to the affected families.
Atlas Air also expressed deep sorrow over the accident. To investigate the cause of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatched an investigative team led by the agency's chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also initiated an investigation and issued a temporary ground stop on inbound flights to Miami. Amazon stated that it is working with relevant authorities to determine the cause of the accident.
This is not the first such fatal accident involving an Amazon-affiliated cargo plane. In 2019, an Atlas Air Boeing 767 operating for Amazon crashed near Houston, resulting in the deaths of all three people on board.
