Amazon Cargo Jet Crash in Miami Kills Five Ground Workers

Investigators are working to determine why an Amazon cargo jet overshot a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, crashing into two vehicles and killing five people on the ground. The Boeing 767, arriving from Puerto Rico, struck a van carrying a cleaning crew on airport property before tearing through a fence and hitting an SUV on a public road. Two van occupants survived, along with the pilot and co-pilot.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described the scene as "utter devastation," with debris, airbags, and destroyed navigational equipment scattered along the plane's path. She noted that jet fuel remained present even 24 hours after the crash, forcing investigators to tread carefully.

The aircraft traveled roughly 1,300 feet past the runway's end. Weather reports indicated strong winds exceeding 25 knots at the time, and video analysis suggests a tailwind may have kept the plane airborne longer than intended, preventing a normal touchdown. It remains unclear why the pilot did not abort the landing and circle for another attempt.

The crash forced the airport to close for hours, canceling over 225 flights and delaying hundreds more. Two of four runways stayed shut through late Tuesday as the NTSB gathered evidence.

All five deceased were employees of Professional Ocean Service Corp., a plane-cleaning company. The firm expressed condolences, saying the workers were "deeply loved" and that their lives have been "forever changed." The Miami-Dade sheriff identified the victims as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

The 32-year-old Boeing 767, originally a passenger jet, had been converted to cargo use in 2015. The flight was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo carrier. The NTSB will review the aircraft's ownership history, maintenance records, and the airline's operations.

This marks the second fatal cargo-jet crash in the U.S. within a year. In October, a UPS plane crashed in Louisville, Kentucky, killing all three pilots and 12 people on the ground.

A key focus of the investigation is the absence of a runway safety system—crushable material designed to slow jets that overshoot runways. While about 120 U.S. airports have such systems, Miami does not, though it maintains a 1,000-foot safety buffer that meets federal rules. Homendy stressed that without implementing safety recommendations, "we're going to be here again."