Investigators have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from an Amazon cargo plane that overran the runway at Miami International Airport, killing five people.
All five victims were travelling in a van and an SUV that were among several vehicles struck by the jet outside airport property. The van was carrying seven people employed by a cleaning company.
The scene of the crash was described as one of “utter devastation”.
“The debris is pretty extensive. I’m sure it must have been very difficult for the responders as well. I would describe it in one word as devastating — utter devastation,” National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said.
The van, owned by airline cleaning contractor Professional Ocean Service Corp., was “torn apart”, she added.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release further information, potentially including details of the aircraft’s speed as recorded by the flight data recorder.
The incident also left three people critically injured, while two others were hospitalised with severe injuries.
Federal investigators examine cause of deadly runway overrun
Investigators are examining whether the aircraft touched down too far along the runway to stop safely.
Video footage of the cargo jet’s landing appears to show the Boeing 767 remaining airborne well down the runway before touching down. Investigators will seek to determine the exact point at which the aircraft landed, whether it was beyond the normal touchdown zone, and why the pilots did not abort the landing.
They will also examine the aircraft’s speed and braking performance, weather and wind conditions, its mechanical condition, and other factors that may have contributed to the crash.
The aircraft flew from Cincinnati to Miami and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before returning to Miami. It overran the runway at around 2 pm, crossed a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses surrounding the airport, and struck several vehicles outside airport property.
The crash sent thick black smoke into the sky and trapped the pilot and co-pilot inside the cockpit. Some people were also trapped inside vehicles, while Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews had to free another person who was trapped beneath a vehicle.
