Flames erupted from an Amazon cargo jet after it overran a Miami runway, sending panicked witnesses scrambling from what they feared would be a massive explosion.
The Boeing 767, operated by 21 Air, was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it touched down just before 2 p.m. Sunday and immediately went out of control. The 32-year-old aircraft skidded off runway 30 at 129 mph, plowed through multiple vehicles, and came to rest with fire roaring from its right engine, according to video shared by the Miami-based account Only in Dade.
“Oh my f–king God,” a witness filming the crash is heard screeching in the footage.
At least five people were killed and another five were injured in the wreck, with three of the hospitalized victims listed in critical condition. Around 60 fire and rescue services raced to the scene as emergency audio captured the escalating alarm. “The plane’s on fire. The plane’s on fire,” one responder warned in Broadcastify audio obtained first by the Miami Herald.
Truck driver Romiersky Rodriguez was working nearby when the jet came down and described the immediate chaos to NBC affiliate WTVJ. “A horrific accident, we were there at the yard, and then out of nowhere we just, we could see a plane just coming down and just hear the boom, the explosion that happened, you could feel the shake, you could see the smoke coming out, the flames, just felt like a couple of feet away from us,” he said.
Rodriguez said he feared the massive jet would explode — and it was later revealed fire crews had to deal with a fuel leak. “Everything just went chaotic as soon as the plane fell, people all around, smoke everywhere, it’s a horrific experience,” he continued. “I couldn’t get close enough because we were scared that the plane was going to blow up.”
The crash’s impact reached far beyond the airport perimeter. Jose Sanchez, who lives three miles away, said that his home shook from the force of the impact. He then went outdoors and saw huge plumes of smoke in the distance. “As I stepped outside, it got stronger,” he said.
Beth Tilman, another neighbor, said how the stench from the fumes was something she had “never smelled before.” “It wasn’t trees burning. It wasn’t mangroves burning,” she said.
The aircraft landed on runway 30, which stretches more than 9,000 feet according to FAA data. It’s not clear why the plane was unable to stop before it careened off the paved surface. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Investigators are set to examine whether the plane flew too far before landing. The typical landing zone is within the first 3,000 feet of a runway. They will also look to see if a tailwind contributed to the crash.
The NTSB investigation remains ongoing.