Amazon cargo plane skids off Miami runway and catches fire, killing five

An Amazon Prime Air cargo plane ran off the runway at Miami International Airport, slammed into vehicles and burst into flames, killing at least five people. The crash took place at about 2 p.m. local time on Sept. 6 as Flight 7598 landed in Miami, Florida.

Ray Jadallah, chief of the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, said three people were taken to trauma centers in critical condition and two others were treated at a local hospital. “The plane struck several vehicles. Some victims were trapped inside the vehicles,” Jadallah said.

Rescuers also faced a difficult operation inside the aircraft, searching for and attempting to free the captain and first officer. Jadallah did not say whether either pilot survived. Video showed thick smoke rising from the blue-and-white Boeing 767 as fire engines rushed to the scene.

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The plane struck several vehicles. Some victims were trapped inside the vehicles.

Authorities deployed 60 specialized fire vehicles and nearly 200 firefighters for the search, rescue and firefighting operation. All runways at Miami International Airport had to close after the crash. The NTSB said the B-767-300 had departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, for Miami and sent a rapid-response investigative team to the site.

The FAA and NTSB will determine the exact cause. Amazon confirmed that the aircraft “experienced an incident during landing.” Company spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said, “This is a rapidly developing situation and we are still gathering information. We are working closely with authorities and local officials to determine exactly what happened.”

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This is a rapidly developing situation and we are still gathering information. We are working closely with authorities and local officials to determine exactly what happened.