Amazon Boeing 767 Overrun in Miami Turns Deadly With Five Killed and Three Fighting for Their Lives

Five people are dead and five injured, three of them critically, after a Boeing 767 flown for Amazon overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, struck vehicles, and burst into flames in a crash that has revived questions about the ageing jets carrying America's online orders.

The aircraft, 21 Air Flight 7598, overran Runway 30 at about 1:58pm local time after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It crossed a road, hit multiple vehicles near Northwest 42nd Avenue, and came to rest in a field, sending a column of black smoke over one of the country's busiest airports.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed the toll at an evening news conference. Three of the injured are in critical condition at a trauma centre, while two others were taken to hospital with less severe injuries, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Raied Jadallah said. More than 60 fire rescue units responded.

Who Was Flying the Plane

Amazon does not hold its own operating certificate for these cargo runs. Its Prime Air network is flown by contracted carriers, and 21 Air, a cargo airline based in North Carolina that runs 767 freighters for clients including Amazon and DHL, operated this flight.

'We can confirm that an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air experienced an incident while attempting to land,' Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. The company later called the deaths a heartbreaking loss. 21 Air chief executive Keith Winters said the carrier was devastated and cooperating fully with investigators.

An Ageing Jet Behind the Convenience

The aircraft itself is under scrutiny. The 767 was built in 1994 as a passenger jet and flew for more than two decades before being converted to cargo in 2015, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. At 32 years old, it reflects a reality most shoppers never consider. The boom in next-day delivery rides on a patchwork of older, third-party-operated planes.

That trade-off turned fatal once before. In February 2019, an Atlas Air 767 flying cargo for Amazon crashed into Trinity Bay near Houston, killing all three on board. That jet had also departed from Miami. Investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) later blamed pilot error and a first officer's disorientation, and faulted the FAA for gaps in a pilot records database.

What Investigators Will Examine

The NTSB has launched a go-team led by chair Jennifer Homendy, and Boeing said it is supporting the probe. Inspectors found no aircraft debris on the runway itself, though the plane damaged navigational equipment as it left the pavement.

Weather may feature in the inquiry. Airport data showed thunderstorms and winds of 17 knots gusting to 26 at the time of landing, though no cause has been determined. Runway excursions are the most common type of aviation incident worldwide, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Disruption Across Miami

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a ground stop was ordered so responders could reach the scene. It was lifted around 5pm, with two of the airport's four runways reopening. Roughly 250 flights were delayed, and disruption is expected to run into Monday.

The names of the dead and injured have not been released.