The Amazon cargo plane involved in the tragic crash at a Miami runway, resulting in the loss of five lives, had its pilot repeatedly cautioning about excessive speed almost two minutes before the accident. The cockpit recordings, recently disclosed by investigators, reveal the pilot’s last-minute plea to abort the landing.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shared some insights from the recordings post the pilots’ interviews, noting that the full transcript will be released at a later time. It was reported that the other pilot did not consistently acknowledge the speed warnings.
The Amazon aircraft approached the runway at a high speed on Sunday afternoon, overshooting the landing zone by around 400 meters. The plane collided with a van carrying plane-cleaning staff before hitting a compact SUV and igniting upon sliding across a public road.
Tragically, all five fatalities occurred in the van, while five others sustained injuries, with two individuals in critical condition as of Tuesday. Fortunately, the two pilots survived the crash.
In the critical moment when the pilot alerted about the speeding aircraft, former FAA official Mike O’Donnell suggested several actions that could have been taken to decelerate, such as extending the spoilers, reducing throttle, lowering the landing gear, or opting to abort the landing and execute a go-around maneuver.
O’Donnell emphasized the ample time available to address the speed issue and make a decision to conduct a go-around at the two-minute mark, drawing from his experience overseeing airport safety and accident investigations.
