Deadly Miami Runway Overrun: Urgency in Air-Traffic Audio After Cargo Jet Crash Kills 5
The chaos and confusion that followed the deadly Amazon Prime Air cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport spilled into the airwaves, where controllers and pilots could be heard piecing together what had just unfolded.
At least five people were killed and five others injured after 21 Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 operating for Amazon's Prime Air, overran Runway 30 around 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft, arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, crossed a perimeter road near the airport, struck multiple vehicles, and caught fire.
Audio from LiveATC reviewed by Newsweek captures a Miami air traffic controller warning inbound traffic that the airport had been placed on hold because of the accident.
"Just to give you a heads up, the airport is on an indefinite hold right now – apparently an aircraft ran off the end of the runway and hit a vehicle on the perimeter road, so it may be a while," the controller told the crew of American Airlines Flight 1627. The pilot responded: "Copy, and that is at Miami International, correct?" The controller confirmed: "1627, affirmative. It happened at Miami International."
Another clip, obtained by CBS News, captured someone saying: "Looks like we have an aircraft overran the runway on 30."
The FAA said Flight 7598 "overran the runway after landing" at Miami International and confirmed the jet originated from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash, which has renewed scrutiny of runway safety at one of the busiest airports in the Southeast.
The flight was operating under 21 Air's Part 121 cargo certificate, with Amazon Prime Air branding. Aviation safety experts noted that runway overruns, while rare in commercial aviation, can be catastrophic when an aircraft continues beyond protected areas into nearby roadways or populated zones.
This remains a developing story, and more details are expected to emerge as investigators examine the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, and airport infrastructure conditions.