Cargo jet crash in Miami kills five on ground; investigators detail 'utter devastation'

A cargo jet attempting to abort an unsteady landing crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, September 6, 2026, resulting in the deaths of five people on the ground. The Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767-300 freighter, operated by 21 Air LLC, overran runway 30, striking a van carrying airline cleaning crew members and an SUV. Five additional individuals were injured, some critically, while the two pilots of the cargo plane survived.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) described the crash scene as "utter devastation," noting that the plane traveled approximately 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the runway end. Flight data recorders indicate that the pilots initiated a "go-around" or aborted landing seconds after the landing gear touched down, increasing thrust but not deploying speed brakes or thrust reversers.

The NTSB's ongoing investigation will examine factors such as the pilots' decision-making, reported strong winds at the time of the landing, the 32-year-old aircraft's mechanical condition, and the absence of a runway excursion safety system at Miami International Airport.