Amazon cargo plane overshot Miami runway, crashed and caught fire, killing 5 and injuring 5

On the 6th of this month, an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway when landing at Miami International Airport, then hit two cars and caught fire. (AP)

On the 6th of this month, an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway when landing at Miami International Airport, then hit two cars and caught fire. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced the latest investigation progress on the afternoon of the 7th, explaining the circumstances of the accident.

CBS News reported that officials said the accident killed five people and injured at least five others. NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy pointed out at a press conference on the 7th that the five deceased people were all in the two cars that were hit by the cargo plane.

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The NTSB also confirmed that it had recovered the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), commonly known as black boxes.

Homendy said that the accident flight was Amazon Air Cargo Network Prime Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-33 Alpha, operated by cargo airline 21 Air.

She said that the flight arrived in Miami from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was the third flight that day. Previously, it flew from Cincinnati to Miami, then from Miami to San Juan, and then back to Miami.

Homendy pointed out that the cargo plane overshot Runway 30 when it landed, hit the navigation facility, and then hit a white Ford Econoline van belonging to the airline's outsourced cleaning company Professional Ocean Service Corporation. There were seven people in the car at the time.

The cargo plane then broke through the airport fence and hit a Toyota Corolla Cross LE that was driving on Northwest 67 Avenue. It then continued into the grass and hit another fence in the Tesla self-driving taxi parking area.

Homendy said that the cargo plane overshot the pavement for a total of about 396 meters. All the dead and injured were located in the two vehicles mentioned above, of which the van was located inside the airport and the Toyota was located outside the airport.

Homendy described the accident scene: "If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be 'horrific' and a complete destruction." She said that the Ford van was in pieces. Airbags, vehicle parts, and the wreckage of two cars and the plane itself could be seen at the scene, as well as parts of navigation equipment, fragments of some airport facilities and scattered fences. "The scope is quite extensive."

The NTSB stated that it has recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, and both will be sent to the NTSB headquarters to download the data and analyze it. Homendy revealed that investigators have obtained some speed data from other sources, but they still want to compare it with the flight data recorder data before releasing it to the public.

Currently, NTSB has 32 personnel stationed at the scene. Homendy said that investigators have not yet been able to fully enter the aircraft for investigation because search, rescue and aftermath operations are still ongoing and staff are removing fuel from the aircraft.