Miami Airport Issues Ground Stop After Amazon Prime Air Cargo Plane Overruns Runway

A Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft operating for Amazon's Prime Air network overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, forcing a rare full ground stop and shutting all runways and taxiways at one of America's busiest hubs, the US Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed.

21 Air Flight 7598, flying from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, landed in Miami at around 2pm local time before running off the end of Runway 30.

Footage circulating on social media and local television appears to show the Amazon-branded jet beyond the airport perimeter, near Northwest 67th Avenue, with its fuselage resting in a field beside a highway.

Entire Airfield Brought to a Halt

Miami International Airport confirmed a 'disabled aircraft' on the runway and closed all runways and taxiways by approximately 3pm, with a ground stop enforced. The FAA said the measure was more typically associated with severe weather than a single aircraft incident.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue attended the scene. Images reviewed by local broadcaster WSVN showed dark smoke rising near the aircraft, though officials have not confirmed whether fuel or cargo contributed to it.

No injuries to the crew or anyone on the ground have been confirmed. As a cargo flight, there were no passengers aboard.

In a joint statement, airport officials and operator 21 Air said the aircraft 'overran Miami International Airport's diagonal runway and is disabled at the northwest end of the airport', adding that fire crews had responded. The jet remained disabled at the site.

Flight-tracking service FlightRadar24 showed movements at the airport coming to an abrupt halt as the ground stop took effect. Miami is one of the busiest gateways for Latin America and the Caribbean, and passengers on unrelated flights were left waiting on the tarmac or holding in the air while the disabled aircraft was dealt with.

FAA Opens Investigation as Unconfirmed Details Emerge

The FAA said its information remained preliminary and confirmed it would investigate the overrun. Regulators typically examine runway conditions, aircraft performance, braking action and crew decision-making in such cases, though no cause has yet been suggested by the agency or the airline.

Air traffic control recordings, picked up via LiveATC.com, captured a ground vehicle informing the control tower: 'Looks like we have an aircraft that overran the runway on 30.'

CNN said it had requested comment from Amazon regarding the incident and its safety procedures. Amazon had not issued a public response at the time of writing.

Details of what led to the overrun remain unclear, with no official confirmation yet on weather conditions or any mechanical or human factors involved. Investigators are expected to examine flight data recorders and interview crew members as part of the inquiry.

For now, the extent of the damage to the aircraft, and the full impact on Sunday's schedule at one of America's busiest airports, remains unconfirmed pending further statements from the FAA and Miami International Airport.

Passengers and airline operators at Miami International Airport face delays until the runway is cleared, with the FAA expected to provide an updated statement on Monday.