Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport leaves at least five dead

At least five people have died this Sunday after an Amazon cargo plane crashed after leaving the runway after landing at Miami International Airport, in the United States, as confirmed by the country's authorities. Five other people were injured and taken to hospital. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the aircraft to lose control, crashing into several vehicles and catching fire during the accident.

Prime Air Flight 7598 skidded off the runway around 2:00 p.m. local time. The aircraft invaded a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses surrounding the airport. The plane involved was a Boeing 767-300 that had taken off from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The accident, which caused a thick column of black smoke, trapped the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit and some occupants in their cars, according to Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah. Rescuers also had to free a person who was trapped under a vehicle. It has not yet emerged whether the pilots survived the tragedy.

Among the factors that investigators analyze is whether the plane flew too far before touching down. Typically, the landing zone is within the first 3,000 feet of a runway. Air safety expert Steve Arroyo explained to the AP news agency that, if it went beyond that area, the plane should have aborted the landing and turned around to try again.

Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former Department of Transportation inspector general, said a video posted online shows the plane hovering over the runway for an extended period without raising the nose to force the main landing gear to touch the ground. It was not raining at the time, but dark storm clouds were gathering and strong winds were reported at the airport.

Schiavo noted that if the plane had a tailwind, that could have contributed to it floating lower on the runway. "A tailwind would certainly compound your problems if you've already given up a good portion of the runway by not touching down and landing immediately," Schiavo said.

Miami airport is not equipped with arresting systems that, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, have been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide to safely stop planes that overshoot the end of a runway. The FAA estimates that these safety zones of special materials designed to bring a plane to a controlled stop have helped save at least 497 lives aboard planes that skidded off the runway.

The accident halted flights for much of Sunday afternoon. To stop the flames unleashed after the crash, authorities indicated that about 200 troops worked on the ground on a complex fire in the engine compartment.

Firefighters used foam from specialized airport firefighting units to put out the fire, and hours later crews were still dealing with a fuel leak on the plane. The images showed that the Prime Air plane was stopped next to a road near two semi-trailer trucks. The aircraft remained largely intact despite the fire.

Schiavo said investigators will closely examine the maintenance history of this plane, particularly because it has a history of foreign ownership in the past, including by a Russian company.

Amazon said in a statement that it would cooperate with any investigation. "We are devastated to learn that five people lost their lives in the incident at Miami International Airport," the company said. "Our deepest condolences are with the families, loved ones and everyone affected by this devastating loss," the statement concluded.