Amazon Pilot Warned of Excessive Speed Before Deadly Miami Airport Crash

Pilot Warnings and Cockpit Dynamics in Miami Crash

The summary notes that the other pilot never gave a consistent verbal response to the warnings. Aviation attorney Pablo Rojas remarked that the data points to excessive speed during the approach, stating that the lack of a consistent verbal response confirms it was a doomed approach. Former airline pilot and safety expert Steve Arroyo suggested the details indicate a lack of teamwork and leadership in the cockpit, questioning whether the pilot at the controls was too focused on landing to acknowledge the warnings or whether the junior pilot was not aggressive enough in challenging the situation.

Final Approach and Attempted Go-Around

The aircraft, operating as Amazon Air Flight 7598 arriving from Puerto Rico with roughly 32,000 pounds of mostly contact lenses, touched down awkwardly after coming in fast on a Sunday afternoon. Tracking site Flightradar24 estimated from NTSB data that the plane was nearly halfway down the 9,360-foot runway when it first touched down, traveling at roughly 182 miles per hour.

According to yahoo.com, sounds similar to the aircraft touching down were heard about 30 seconds before the crash. Approximately 15 seconds later, one of the pilots called for a “go-around” to abort the landing. Flight data recorder details discussed by NTSB investigator Chihoon Shin indicated that throttles increased consistent with a go-around thrust seconds before the recording ended, and brakes were reapplied continuously, though there was no indication that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed. Just five seconds after the go-around call, the plane had already veered off the runway.

Amazon Plane Miami Runway Accident: Pilot Speed Warning Issued

Runway Overrun and Fatal Impact on the Ground

After touching down, the jet barreled roughly 1,300 feet past the end of the runway. It smashed into a Ford Econoline van carrying seven workers from an aircraft cleaning company, then hit a compact SUV as it slid across a public road before catching fire.

The Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office identified the five people killed in the van as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Narajo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Five other people were injured, and the aircraft’s two surviving pilots were treated and released from the hospital.

Ongoing Investigation and Context

The NTSB expects to issue a preliminary report in the coming weeks as investigators review the jet’s ownership history, maintenance records, weather conditions, and operations. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for foreign airlines for over two decades before conversion to a cargo plane in 2015. The final flight was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo carrier flying packages for Amazon since 2024.