NTSB: Amazon plane hit MIA cleaning contractor van filled with 7 people
The Amazon cargo plane that overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday struck a van owned by an airline cleaning contractor that had seven people inside, the National Transportation Safety Board’s chairwoman said Monday.
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The 2012 white Ford Ecoline van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corporation, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said at a press conference that started a little after 4 p.m. The Boeing 767-33A operated by Miami-based 21 Air also hit a Toyota Corolla Cross.
In the aftermath of the crash, MIA could be down two runways for a few days.
Five people were killed and five more were injured in the crash Sunday, which happened just before 2 p.m. on Runway 30. All five of the deceased were in the van and the Toyota, according to the NTSB.
Professional Ocean Service Corporation did not answer a phone call from the Miami Herald on Monday afternoon, and its voicemail box was full.
The crash caused a full ground stop that was alleviated about three hours later when two of MIA’s four runways opened. With the crashed plane still where its deadly ramble ended Sunday, two runways remained closed Monday. They won’t reopen until the plane can be moved.
“First of all, we need to document the scene. We need to get access to the aircraft itself. We do not have that yet,” Homendy said Monday.
NTSB investigators examine the wreckage field Monday after a Boeing 767 cargo plane operating as 21 Air LLC Flight 7598 overran the end of Runway 30 while landing Sunday at Miami International Airport (MIA). pic.twitter.com/MV7vRu8kuC
Earlier, she said: “We had to be somewhat cautious today. There’s fuel everywhere. That will have to be remediated. They’re also removing fuel from the aircraft. We have to allow that to occur. As we speak, recovery operations continue. The recovery of victims is most important.
“The investigation and access to the aircraft can wait while the recovery operations go forward.”
Homendy said as the plane went 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface, it struck navigational equipment, hit the van, went through a perimeter fence, hit the Toyota SUV on Northwest 67th Avenue and went through another fence before coming to a stop at lot filled with Tesla robotaxis.
Investigators were able to recover the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder from the plane, she said. The NTSB expects to be in Miami for the next week collecting evidence but will not be determining a probable cause for the plane crash during that time.
Asked to describe the scene, Homendy said “I would describe it in one word: devastating. Utter devastation. You can see on the paved surface tire marks that continue through the grass. There’s debris everywhere. The Econoline van is torn apart. It certainly must have been devastating. The SUV (Toyota) you can see surrounding airbags, you can see components from the passenger vehicles and the aircraft itself, components of the navigational aids.”
The NTSB plans to give another media briefing Tuesday.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office did not provide any updates Monday on the conditions of those who were injured in the crash or the names of the injured or deceased.
Flights out of Miami International Airport were slightly delayed, and flights into MIA remained extremely delayed Monday.
According to the FAA’s National Airspace System Status updates, the departure delay for flights out of MIA was “30 minutes (and decreasing)” as of 12:49 p.m. Monday, but flights into the Miami area were delayed an average of five hours and 17 minutes.
As of 1:22 p.m. Monday, FlightAware said there had been 293 flights delayed in or out of Miami and 79 flights canceled.
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Over at the cargo area Monday, the cargo plane remained where its tragically wayward journey ended.
Though Amazon.com’s logo decorates the tail and both fuselage sides have “Prime Air,” the plane that skidded off Runway 30 and across Northwest 67th Avenue is operated by 21 Air, a 12-year-old cargo airline based out of Miami and Greensboro, North Carolina.
After Sunday’s crash, 21 Air, which also handles cargo for DHL, took down its website in favor of a single statement from CEO Keith Winters:
“We are devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami today. Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available. We are cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities. The circumstances of the accident are under investigation.”
Sunday afternoon, Amazon.com posted to its X account and Instagram stories a similar statement:
“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones and all those affected by this devastating loss.”
“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.
The airplane, which was operated by 21 Air, was…
On Sunday, 34-year-old pilot Rohan Ellis was driving on State Road 836 when he got an alert on his phone about a plane crash. He told the Miami Herald he went to check out the scene, first from the highway, then at a warehouse next to where the plane came to a stop in a parking lot for Tesla robotaxis.
“I’ve been in aviation for quite some time, and it was quite shocking,” Ellis told the Herald. “It was the first time I’ve actually seen an airplane down, and it was especially shocking to see one that size.”
The plane that crashed Sunday was 32 years old and had logged 109,800 hours, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Of Amazon Air’s fleet of about 104 aircraft, the company 21 Air accounts for eight of them, or about 8%, per Cirium.
While MIA has bet big on growing the number of ordinary and business tourists in recent years, it has also seen a boom in cargo transport. Cargo shipments at Miami International Airport jumped by 13.6% in 2025, setting a growth record for the sixth consecutive year, according to MIA data.
A report by Airports Council International pegs MIA as the fifth-busiest cargo airport in the world, and third in the Western Hemisphere.
Miami Herald staff writers David Goodhue and Vinod Sreeharsha contributed reporting.
This story was originally published September 7, 2026 at 2:10 PM with the headline “NTSB: Amazon plane hit MIA cleaning contractor van filled with 7 people.”
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