5 dead after Amazon cargo plane careens off Miami runway, striking vehicles with people inside in its trail of destruction
A blow-by-blow reconstruction of how a Boeing 767 blew past its landing zone, punched through a fence, and killed five people on a road that an airport safety system might have blocked.
Open the article 1 / 5In the article · Yank's paraphrase
By the time it reached the runway's end, the jet was still barreling forward at 130 miles per hour.
By the time it reached the runway's end, the jet was still barreling forward at 130 miles per hour.
Establishes that the plane had no chance of stopping in time, making the runway overrun inevitable rather than surprising.
In context
As the Boeing 767-300 began its descent under dark clouds over Miami International Airport, it flew past the usual landing zone for Runway 30. The aircraft, weighing more than 100 tons, remained airborne deep into the runway — its left rear gear continuing to bounce along the pavement, which rapidly disappeared ahead. By the time it reached the runway’s end, the jet was still barreling forward at 130 miles per hour, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed. On its third flight of the day, the aircraft hurtled across a small grassy patch, then through a chain-link fence with razor wire. Concrete barriers designed to keep cars out of the secure area crumbled as the jet headed straight for a…
By the time it reached the runway's end, the jet was still barreling forward at 130 miles per hour.
Receipt
"Plane's on fire!" a first responder shouted on an emergency radio channel. "Put your game faces on."
Captures the moment responders grasped the scale of the emergency, marking the shift from crash to mass-casualty response.
In context
When the plane finally came to a fiery halt — about 1,300 feet past the paved surface near a parking lot where Tesla robotaxis were stationed — it left a trail of wreckage. Among the debris were airbags, parts of the aircraft and passenger vehicles, and destroyed fencing, which had been catapulted throughout the area of the plane’s path. “Plane’s on fire!” a first responder soon shouted on an emergency radio channel. “Put your game faces on.” Homendy said recovery operations are ongoing, adding that “the recovery of victims is most important.”
"Plane's on fire!" a first responder soon shouted on an emergency radio channel. "Put your game faces on."
Receipt
A wind shift during landing gave the plane a tailwind — so instead of bleeding speed off, it was picking up speed.
The CNN analyst's explanation identifies the wind shift as the key force working against the pilots' ability to slow down.
In context
…ng. But the jet rose above the normal path aircraft take on their approach to Runway 30 before dropping altitude to return back into proper position, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed. The plane had passed through a developing thunderstorm as it approached the airport, one of several pop-up storms in the area, tracking data appeared to show. During the landing, the direction of the wind suddenly changed, said David Soucie, a CNN safety analyst and former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector, giving Flight 7598 a tailwind that may have made it more difficult to slow down. “You’re picking up speed instead of bleeding speed off at that point,” Soucie said.…
wind suddenly changed, said David Soucie, A CNN safety analyst and former Federal Aviation Administration safety inspector, giving Flight 7598 wind shift during landing gave the plane a tailwind that may have made — so instead of bleeding speed off, it more difficult to slow down. “You’re was picking up speed. instead of bleeding
Receipt
Concrete barriers designed to keep cars out of the secure area crumbled as the jet headed straight for a four-lane road.
Shows that every safety barrier between the jet and a public road failed, setting up why the crash reached civilians.
In context
The aircraft, weighing more than 100 tons, remained airborne deep into the runway — its left rear gear continuing to bounce along the pavement, which rapidly disappeared ahead. By the time it reached the runway’s end, the jet was still barreling forward at 130 miles per hour, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed. On its third flight of the day, the aircraft hurtled across a small grassy patch, then through a chain-link fence with razor wire. Concrete barriers designed to keep cars out of the secure area crumbled as the jet headed straight for a four-lane road.
Receipt
Miami International Airport lacks arrestor beds at runway ends — a system that crushes under a plane's weight and stops it before it reaches the road — despite being entirely surrounded by city.
Aviation experts argue Miami's missing arrestor system could have stopped the jet before it reached the road and killed people.
In context
Runway excursions – when airplanes go off the runway – are the No. 1 incident involving airplanes worldwide, according to data from the International Air Transport Association. While the cause of Sunday’s crash is still under investigation, Miami International Airport lacks a key safety feature that might have prevented the aircraft from overrunning the airport property and reaching a roadway, aviation experts said. The Engineered Material Arresting System – or EMAS – places a series of concrete pads at the end of a runway. Although they look solid, the lightweight material is designed to be crushed under the weight of an airplane.
Receipt
Didn’t see the line you wanted? Choose your own
Make something from it
Ask a question
Ask about anything in this article. We’ll try to provide an answer.