Amazon Cargo Flight Overshoots Miami Runway After Pilot Warns of Excessive Speed
On Sunday, a Boeing 767‑300 cargo plane operating for Amazon Prime Air crash‑landed at Miami International Airport after it was traveling too fast, leading to an overrun, a collision with vehicular equipment, and a rooftop fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s latest investigation notes that pilot Richard Smith repeatedly warned co‑pilot Kyle Martinez about the “excessive speed” during final approach, but the cockpit’s verbal responses were inconsistent. An automated “sink rate” callout and a “too low terrain” warning were also logged.
Flight‑data recorders show the aircraft’s landing speed at 158 knots—on the upper end of acceptable limits. Additionally, flap deployment, which should have helped decelerate the aircraft, occurred late in the sequence, plausibly in response to the speed issue.
The crash resulted in five fatalities and injured five survivors. The dead–list included a plane‑cleaning crew that was stationed in a white Ford van on the apron when the aircraft overran the runway, slammed into the van and then onto a perimeter fence, collided with a Toyota Corolla, and finally came to rest 1,300 feet beyond the runway threshold.
Officials are now interrogating whether the pilot’s alarms and the automated warnings were sufficient, and what procedural steps could prevent similar oversupplies by other cargo aircraft. The NTSB continues to work with Amazon and the Federal Aviation Administration to refine air‑traffic safety protocols.
