NTSB: Amazon Cargo Pilots Attempted Go-Around Before Fatal Miami Crash

Data recovered from a crashed Amazon Prime Air cargo jet suggests the pilots attempted to abort the landing just seconds before the aircraft overran a Miami runway, according to a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday.

The incident on Sunday involved a Boeing 767 that crashed into two vehicles, killing five people on the ground and injuring five others.

Flight Recorder Evidence

The NTSB provided a timeline of the flight's final moments based on the flight data recorder. The agency's preliminary findings indicate a sequence of events inconsistent with a normal landing procedure.

Key events from the recording include:

• 30 seconds before the recording ended, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear touched down.
• 19 seconds before the end, the left main landing gear touched down.
• A few seconds later, the aircraft's brakes were released and the throttles were advanced to a level consistent with go-around thrust, an action pilots take to abort a landing.

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The NTSB also noted there was no recorded data indicating that the speed brakes or thrust reversers, which are critical for slowing an aircraft after touchdown, were ever deployed.

Accident Background

The 32-year-old Boeing 767, operated by Miami-based 21 Air for Amazon's cargo network, overran the runway by approximately 1,300 feet (396 m). The subsequent crash resulted in five fatalities and five injuries among individuals on the ground.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy confirmed that investigators plan to interview both of the pilots on Wednesday as the probe into the cause of the crash continues.