Investigators recover black boxes from cargo plane crash in Miami

The two black boxes from an Amazon cargo plane that overran a runway and crashed at Miami International Airport were recovered and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board’s headquarters in Washington for evaluation.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the agency was still documenting evidence and had not reached a probable cause. A team of 32 investigators was working at the airport, while crews removed jet fuel from the aircraft and crash site. Two of the airport’s four runways remained closed, although flights resumed on Sunday evening after the airport initially halted operations.

The 32-year-old Boeing 767-33A, operated by Miami-based 21 Air LLC, ran about 1,300 feet, or 396 meters, beyond the runway before striking two vehicles. An Econoline van on airport grounds carried seven members of an airline cleaning crew. A Toyota SUV was traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue beyond the airport perimeter fence.

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Utter devastation.

The two people aboard the aircraft, the pilot and co-pilot, survived and had not yet been interviewed. Officials said five people were injured, three critically, and that those killed came from the two vehicles on the ground. The van belonged to Professional Ocean Service Corp, an airline cleaning-services provider.

Homendy described the scene as “Utter devastation.” She said tire marks continued through the grass, debris covered the area, and the van had been torn apart. Investigators were also examining the lack of an Engineered Materials Arresting System, or EMAS, designed to stop aircraft that leave a runway. Homendy asked members of the public to submit photos or videos that could help the investigation.

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You can see on the paved surface tire marks that continue through the grass. There’s debris everywhere. The Econoline van is torn apart.