Amazon cargo jet lacked wind data before Miami runway overrun that killed five
An air traffic controller failed to provide wind information to an Amazon subcontractor’s Boeing 767 before it overran Miami International Airport’s runway on September 6, killing five people on the ground. The NTSB’s preliminary report released October 1 said the controller gave landing clearance but omitted required wind direction and velocity details despite a tailwind existing.
Flight 7598, operated by 21 Air LLC under an Amazon agreement, had arrived from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The captain had about 7,267 total flight hours, with 150 hours in the same Boeing 767 model, while the first officer had roughly 2,800 total hours. After the crash, Amazon paused its work with 21 Air and said it would review safety protocols based on the NTSB findings.
“We are reviewing the information in the NTSB preliminary report closely, alongside our own internal safety and operational protocols, and we will take all appropriate action to improve our safety based on the facts as they are established,” 21 Air said.
About four minutes before landing clearance, the controller had provided wind information to another flight that requested it, but the Amazon jet was not on the controller’s frequency at that time. The aircraft continued past the runway, striking navigational equipment before hitting two ground vehicles.
What we know
The cargo plane overran the Miami airport’s runway after arriving from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on September 6.
The controller who was responsible for arrivals and departures on the runway the Amazon jet was approaching gave the aircraft clearance to land but didn’t disclose that information, according to the preliminary report released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board on October 1.
An air traffic controller didn’t provide an Amazon.com Inc. cargo plane with wind information prior to it crashing at Miami International Airport last month, killing five people on the ground, according to accident investigators.
In the preliminary report, the NTSB said the captain who was flying the aircraft had about 7,267 total hours of flight experience, of which 150 hours were in the same make and model as the airplane that crashed.
The first officer, the pilot monitoring, had about 2,800 total hours.