An Amazon Cargo Jet Runs 1,300 Feet Past the End of a Miami Runway at 128 MPH and Crushes a Van Carrying Seven Airport Cleaners — Five Dead, and the NTSB Chair Calls the Scene "Utter Devastation"

September 7, 2026

At 1:53 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2026, 21 Air Flight 7598 — a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter flying for Amazon Air from San Juan, Puerto Rico — landed long on Runway 30 at Miami International Airport, left the paved surface at roughly 128 miles per hour, and traveled about 1,300 feet before striking navigational equipment, a fence line, a Ford Econoline van carrying seven workers from an airline cleaning contractor, and an SUV on the road outside the perimeter. Five people in the two vehicles were killed and five more were injured, three critically. The two-person flight crew survived. The airport was under a full ground stop for about three hours, and delays into Miami ran past six hours on Sunday night. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy led a 32-person team to the scene and, at a briefing on Monday, September 7, described "utter devastation," said the van had been "torn apart," and confirmed both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder had been recovered. Video of the landing appears to show the jet still airborne well down the runway before touching down, and investigators are examining whether the aircraft touched down too late to stop safely. 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo carrier that began flying 767 freighters for Amazon in 2024, said it was cooperating fully with the NTSB and FAA. Florida's officials responded within hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the ground stop and warned travelers to expect significant delays. Sen. Rick Scott said he was "heartbroken by this tragic loss of life," Rep. Carlos Giménez — a former Miami fire chief — said he was "extraordinarily proud" of the emergency response, Rep. María Elvira Salazar said "Miami is with every family affected by this tragedy," and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she was "horrified" by the crash. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava was briefed by the FAA on scene Sunday night. The crash is the deadliest at Miami International since the 1997 Fine Air Flight 101 cargo crash, and it comes ten months after the fatal UPS cargo jet crash at Louisville.