Show Caption Federal investigators said Sept. 9 that one of the pilots of the Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that overran a runway at Miami International Airport repeatedly commented about the aircraft's excessive speed during the final one minute and 42 seconds of the cockpit voice recording. In an investigative update, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said there was no consistent verbal response to the remarks about speed, and the aircraft's system announced 'Too low, terrain' several times before the plane touched down. The agency did not identify which pilot made the comments.
The latest findings come as the wife of one of the victims killed in the Sept. 6 crash filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging the accident was caused by multiple failures involving the two pilots aboard, aircraft operators, and others connected to the flight. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the crash, which killed five people and injured five others after Amazon Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-33A operated by 21 Air LLC, overshot the runway and struck two vehicles.
Preliminary findings from the NTSB point to questions about the aircraft’s speed as it approached the runway and the crew’s handling of the landing. Fifteen seconds before the cockpit voice recording ended, one of the pilots called for aborting the landing, and throttles were increased to a value consistent with go-around thrust. However, four seconds later, the throttles were pulled back to idle, and the recorder captured sounds similar to the plane departing the paved runway surface. The NTSB previously stated there was no indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed to help slow the aircraft.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Sept. 9 in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court by Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, seeks damages over the death of her husband, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, who was driving a van when the Boeing 767 overran the runway. The complaint names Amazon.com Inc., Amazon Air Cargo, Miami-based cargo carrier 21 Air LLC, and the two pilots as defendants. The suit alleges pilot error, inadequate training, and the deployment of a 32-year-old aircraft whose systems are under investigation.
The crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. on Sept. 6, when the Boeing 767 overran the runway, traveling about 1,300 feet beyond the pavement before crashing into two vehicles. Five people were killed, all occupants of a van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a contract cleaning company for airlines, and another vehicle, a Toyota Corolla Cross traveling outside the airport's perimeter fence. The van carried seven employees.
The lawsuit states that the crash killed five innocent people and seriously injured five others, three critically. The pilots allegedly continued an unstable approach in tailwind conditions, landed too far down the runway, and failed to initiate a go-around before the aircraft overran the runway. The complaint further alleges that Amazon and 21 Air failed to adequately train and supervise pilots and allowed unsafe operational practices. It also claims the companies involved placed a 32-year-old aircraft into service whose braking, thrust reverser, and spoiler systems are under investigation.
The NTSB is continuing its investigation. The aircraft, operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon Prime Air, had earlier flown from Cincinnati to Miami and from Miami to San Juan before the crash. The plane departed with a takeoff weight of 252,182 pounds and was expected to land at 231,236 pounds, according to NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Haynes. The cargo weighed 32,222 pounds and consisted primarily of contact lenses. Investigators said no hazardous materials were aboard.
The captain, 55 years old, received his Boeing 767 type rating in May and had logged 7,145 flight hours. The first officer, 37 years old, received his 767 type rating in April 2025 and had accumulated 2,655 flight hours.
Source: USA Today
