The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to talk with the two pilots who survived the Amazon cargo jet crash in Miami on Sunday. NTSB has retrieved data from the cockpit voice recorder found on Monday but will not disclose it yet.
NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy mentioned in a briefing on Tuesday evening that the cockpit voice recorder contained over two hours of clear audio. She stated, “We are scheduled to interview the pilots tomorrow to hear their version of the incident before we publish the cockpit voice recorder data.”
During the same briefing, NTSB investigator Chihoon Shin informed reporters that the aircraft’s nose and right main landing gear touched down 30 seconds before the end of the flight data recording. Additionally, the left main landing gear touched down 19 seconds before the conclusion.
Shin noted that shortly after, the brakes were released, and the throttles were adjusted to values consistent with go-around thrust. He added that there was no evidence in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed.
The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of five individuals on the ground. The cargo jet overshot the runway during its landing, colliding with a van on airport premises, breaking through a fence, and hitting an SUV on a city street.
The deceased individuals, identified by the Miami-Dade sheriff, include Rolando Aleman Leon, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, Julio C. Pineda, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo. Five others sustained injuries, with two in critical condition and one in stable condition.
The Professional Ocean Service Corp., the van’s owner, expressed condolences for the loss of their employees in a statement on Tuesday, emphasizing that their employees are like family and deeply cherished.
The Amazon cargo jet, which had flown from Puerto Rico, encountered stormy conditions upon landing at Miami International Airport. The NTSB revealed that the plane went approximately 396 meters past the runway’s end during the incident.
The airport in Miami does not have a runway excursion system, yet it complies with federal regulations by having a 305-meter safety buffer at the runway ends. The flight was operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina, using a 32-year-old Boeing 767 that was converted from a passenger plane to a cargo aircraft in 2015.
As NTSB investigators continue their work at the crash site, two runways at the airport remained closed on Tuesday. Homendy confirmed that these runways will remain shut until all necessary information is collected.
