Fatal cargo plane crash: Feds report pilots considered aborting landing at Miami International Airport

Investigators were set to talk to the pilots and air traffic controllers who were involved in the recent fatal cargo plane crash in Miami-Dade County, according to National Transportation Safety Board officials. Five people died, and five people were injured after a Boeing 767-300 overtook Miami International Airport’s runway 30-12 shortly after 1:50 p.m. on Sunday and struck two occupied vehicles, according to the NTSB. “No indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust were deployed,” Chihoon Shin, the NTSB’s lead investigator, said on Tuesday night. Preliminary analysis of the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder indicated that the pilots considered aborting the landing for takeoff, according to the NTSB. Evidence gathering continued at the crash site on Wednesday. Related story: NTSB provides latest updates on investigation into MIA cargo plane crash“We are going to be on scene for about a week,“ NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said on Tuesday night.Homendy said she planned to release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder’s details after the NTSB investigators’ interviews with the pilots, which were scheduled for Wednesday. AUG. 6 CRASHThe Boeing operating as Prime Air Flight 798 struck a white 2012 Ford E-150 Econoline van, owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a cleaning company, according to the NTSB.“There were a total of seven in that van,” Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said on Tuesday morning. Related story: Cleaning company ‘heartbroken’ over loss of ‘deeply loved’ employees killed in cargo plane crashCordero-Stutz said five of the van’s occupants died. They were Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.“The Econoline van is torn apart,” Homendy said on Monday. After striking the van at MIA, the Boeing 767-300 struck a Toyota Corolla Cross LE SUV that was traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue, according to Homendy. “The SUV, you can see airbags, the surrounding airbags,” Homendy said. Related story: First lawsuit filed following fatal Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International AirportMiami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel reported taking the five injured to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center and the Jackson South Medical Center. Cordero-Stutz said three remained hospitalized on Tuesday. MDSO identified them as Eugenio Corredor, 79, whose condition is critical; Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, whose condition is critical; and Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres, 36, whose condition is stable. Corredor, who was born in Colombia and lives in Hialeah, was the driver of the green Toyota. Related story: ‘Hopefully he recovers’: Neighbors praying for man critically injured after cargo plane hit his carTHE PILOTSThe pilot and the co-pilot were released from the hospital, according to Cordero-Stutz. On Monday, MDSO identified them as Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, and Joseph Carol, 55, who both suffered minor injuries. On Tuesday, Homendy said the 55-year-old captain “received his type rating in the 76,” a mandatory regulatory certification for the Boeing 767, in May, and he had 7,145 flight hours as of March 31st. Homendy said the 37-year-old first officer received his type rating in the 76 on April 2, 2025, and he had 2,655 flight hours as of Aug. 13. THE JETCargo airline 21 Air was operating Prime Air Flight 798 for Amazon on the Boeing 767-300, manufactured in 1994, according to the NTSB. On Sunday, before the crash, the jet flew from Cincinnati to MIA, from MIA to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and back to MIA, according to the NTSB.A witness’s video shows there were towering stormy clouds when the jet landed on the MIA runway. Since there wasn’t an Engineered Materials Arresting System, or EMAS, to stop the jet, it traveled for 1,300 feet “past the paved surface” before coming to a standstill on a field near parked Tesla Robotaxis, according to Homendy. “Thirty seconds before the end of the recording, the nose landing gear and the right main landing gear touched down, and ground speed was 158 knots,” Shin said. “Twenty-three seconds before the end of the recording, breaks were applied, ground speed was 146 knots.”Shin said 19 seconds before the recording ended, the left main landing gear touched down at a ground speed of 134 knots. Shin said 15 seconds before the recording ended, breaks were released at a ground speed of 120 knots. “Throttles increased to values consistent with go-around thrust,” Shin said. Shin said 11 seconds before the recording ended, throttles, devices that help control speed, were reduced to idle power, breaks were reapplied, and the ground speed was 117 knots. “The throttles remained at idle, and brakes continued to be applied until the end of the recording,” Shin said. Shin said seven seconds before the recording ended, accelerations changed at a ground speed of 96 knots, and the final ground speed was 65 knots.Related story: NTSB team visits fatal cargo plane crash site in Miami-Dade; 5 victims killed in crash identifiedWitnesses recorded videos showing dark smoke billowing from the crash site. On Sunday, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah said there was a “complex fire.” MDFR deployed more than 60 units. Firefighters reported using foam to help extinguish the flames in the engine compartment. Rohan Ellis, a witness, shared a video showing a man climbing out of the cockpit through a window and using the firefighters’ ladder. The jet’s nose was on the ground. Related story: New flight data may offer clues in fatal Miami airport cargo plane crashTRAVEL AND TRAFFICCordero-Stutz asked travelers to check with airlines for the status of their flights. Cordero-Stutz also warned drivers that 67th Avenue was closed to the public from 25th to 32nd streets. Homendy said air controllers were “going through a difficult time, not just from the tragedy, but also trying to get through a capacity-constrained airport.”Homendy asked witnesses to share photos and videos with the NTSB team via e-mail at witness@ntsb.gov.Cordero-Stutz asked the victims’ relatives to contact MDSO victims’ advocates at 305-471-1900.Interactive graphic