Videos recorded at Miami International Airport provide a clearer view of the final moments of the Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 that overran Runway 30 on Sunday, showing the freighter apparently struggling to settle onto the runway before continuing beyond the airport perimeter at high speed.
The accident involving 21 Air Flight 7598 killed at least five people and injured five others, three critically. The Boeing 767-300F, registered N1997A, had arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it overran the runway at about 1:53 p.m. local time.
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One video filmed alongside Runway 30 shows the aircraft during its landing roll with an unusual attitude. At one point, the nose landing gear appears to be in contact with the pavement while the main landing gear remains airborne or only intermittently in contact with the runway.
The images alone do not establish what was happening to the aircraft or why it did not appear to settle normally onto its main landing gear. There has also been no determination that the sequence contributed to the overrun.
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Flight tracking data, however, show that the 767 remained at considerable speed near the end of the runway. Flightradar24 said ADS-B data recorded the aircraft at 112 knots as it exited the usable runway area. The final speed received by the tracking service was 69 knots.
Weather at the time included thunderstorms and gusting winds. The METAR valid when Flight 7598 landed reported winds from 190 degrees at 17 knots, gusting to 26 knots, with a thunderstorm at the airport. Investigators have not established whether weather played a role in the accident.
No emergency was reported before landing. Air traffic control recordings contain routine communications with Flight 7598 through its landing clearance, with no subsequent transmission from the aircraft before the tower announced that Runway 30 was closed.
Across road and into vehicles
Videos recorded from different locations also document much of the 767's path after it left the runway.
The aircraft continued beyond the northwest end of Runway 30, crossed the airport perimeter road and then NW 67th Avenue. It struck several vehicles before coming to rest in a field on the west side of the avenue, close to a large parking lot.
The Aviation Herald estimated that the aircraft stopped about 1,500 ft (460 m) beyond the end of the runway.
A video recorded from the nearby parking area captured the aircraft immediately after it came to rest. Flames can be seen around the right wing and engine area, followed by thick black smoke. Other footage from the scene shows damaged vehicles scattered across the area traversed by the freighter.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue dispatched more than 60 units and around 200 personnel. The pilot and copilot were trapped inside the aircraft, while rescuers also had to reach people trapped in vehicles struck during the accident.
At least five people were killed and five were injured. Three of the injured were reported in critical condition. Authorities had not yet publicly identified the victims or provided a complete breakdown of how many were aboard the aircraft and how many were on the ground.
N1997A sustained substantial damage. Images taken after the fire was controlled show extensive damage around the right wing and the aircraft resting below the surrounding terrain near the parking area.
Investigation begins
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the accident and dispatched a team to Miami. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy is expected to brief the media on Monday.
The available videos and ADS-B data will provide investigators with an unusually detailed record of the landing and overrun, but they do not establish why the aircraft failed to stop on the runway.
Investigators are expected to examine the touchdown point and landing dynamics, aircraft systems, braking and thrust-reverser performance, runway conditions, weather and crew actions, along with data from the 767's flight data and cockpit voice recorders.
N1997A is a 32-year-old Boeing 767-33A(ER) that was originally built as a passenger aircraft and later converted into a freighter. It was being operated by US cargo carrier 21 Air on behalf of Amazon's air logistics network.
