A Boeing 767 cargo jet flying under Amazon’s air network overran the runway at Miami International Airport on September 6, 2026, crossed a perimeter road and struck a van and a passenger SUV before catching fire. Five people on the ground were killed and five more were injured, making it one of the deadliest cargo-aviation accidents on U.S. soil in years even though everyone aboard the plane survived. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a full investigation into why the aircraft could not stop before running off the pavement.
A 767 freighter that could not stop in time
The aircraft was operating as 21 Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767 freighter flying Amazon-branded cargo under contract, when it left the end of the runway at roughly 112 knots and continued rolling for about 1,300 feet before crossing the road bordering the airfield. 21 Air is a North Carolina-based cargo carrier that flies converted 767 freighters for Amazon’s overnight package network, one of several regional operators that move Amazon’s air volume between sort hubs each night.
The National Transportation Safety Board, whose investigators arrived at the airport within hours of the accident, said in an update on the investigation that the freighter came to rest engulfed in flames after crossing the road, and that determining why it failed to stop on the runway is now the central question of the inquiry.
Five ground workers and a driver killed near the runway
The jet struck a van carrying members of an airport cleaning crew and a Toyota SUV traveling on the road just beyond the airport’s perimeter fence. Five people died in the crash: Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Narajo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47, according to local reporting on the crash. Five others were hurt, with three still hospitalized in the days that followed.
Pilots survived; cockpit recorders sent to Washington
Both pilots aboard the freighter survived the accident, and neither has been publicly identified as seriously injured. Investigators recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage and transported both to NTSB laboratories in Washington, D.C., for a full readout, a standard early step in any transportation accident investigation.
Preliminary work on the flight’s track and engine data indicates the crew applied full engine power in the final seconds before the aircraft ran off the runway, according to reporting that reviewed early investigative findings. That detail, if confirmed, would point investigators toward whether the crew was attempting a last-second go-around or reacting to a mechanical or configuration problem discovered too late to stop safely on the remaining pavement.
How investigators piece together a runway overrun
NTSB accident investigations typically unfold in stages. A “go-team” documents the wreckage and physical evidence within the first days, cockpit and data recorders are read out at the agency’s Washington labs within weeks, and a preliminary report summarizing known facts is usually issued within 30 days, without assigning cause. A full final report, including a probable-cause finding and any safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration or the airline industry, typically takes twelve to twenty-four months, since investigators must review maintenance records, air traffic control communications, weather and runway conditions, crew training records and the aircraft’s mechanical history before drawing conclusions.
Runway overruns are among the accident types the agency has tracked closely for decades, because they can result from any combination of a long or fast landing, a wet or contaminated runway, a mechanical problem with brakes or thrust reversers, or a crew’s late decision to abort a landing. Federal investigators will need to rule in or out each of these factors before determining what allowed the 767 to leave more than a thousand feet of pavement behind it.
21 Air’s place in Amazon’s cargo network
21 Air is one of the smaller cargo airlines flying for Amazon’s air operation, which relies on a mix of contracted carriers operating older, converted 767 freighters rather than aircraft built new for cargo service, a common and generally safe practice across the freight industry. Flight-tracking data reviewed after the accident, including a summary from a review of the flight’s final approach, showed the aircraft’s descent and landing profile in the minutes before the overrun, information the NTSB will weigh alongside recorder data as it reconstructs the accident sequence.
Miami International Airport resumed normal operations on the affected runway after the wreckage was cleared, and the Federal Aviation Administration has not indicated any broader grounding of 21 Air’s fleet while the investigation continues. Amazon has said it is cooperating with investigators, and any operational or regulatory changes affecting the airline or its aircraft type are expected to wait until the NTSB’s preliminary findings are public.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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