The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to interview the surviving pilots of the Amazon cargo jet crash in Miami. The NTSB has retrieved data from the cockpit voice recorder found on the aircraft but has not disclosed it yet.
During a briefing on Tuesday evening, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy mentioned that the cockpit voice recorder contained over two hours of clear audio. She stated that the pilots would be interviewed the following day to gather their firsthand account of the incident before the cockpit voice recorder data is made public.
NTSB investigator Chihoon Shin revealed that 30 seconds prior to the end of the flight data recording, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear made contact, followed by the left main landing gear touching down 19 seconds before the end. Shortly after, the brakes were released, and the throttles were adjusted to go-around thrust levels, with no evidence of speed brakes or thrust reversers being deployed according to the recorded data.
The tragic crash resulted in the deaths of five individuals on the ground after the jet overshot the runway during landing, colliding with a van on airport grounds before crashing through a fence and striking an SUV on a city street. The deceased were all occupants of a van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp. The company expressed condolences to the affected families, emphasizing the deep bond among its employees.
The Miami-Dade sheriff identified the deceased victims as Rolando Aleman Leon, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, Julio C. Pineda, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo. Additionally, five other individuals sustained injuries, with two in critical condition and one in stable condition.
The wreckage of the van, severely damaged, and the unrecognizable SUV remained at the crash site alongside the Amazon jet, displaying significant damage with a soot mark near the “Prime Air” branding. The NTSB noted that the plane traveled approximately 396 meters beyond the runway’s end during the incident.
The flight operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo carrier, involved a 32-year-old Boeing 767 converted to a cargo plane in 2015. Homendy confirmed that two runways at the Miami airport remained closed to facilitate the NTSB’s investigation, ensuring the collection of all necessary crash scene data.
