An Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport killed at least five people on Sunday afternoon, after the aircraft overran a Miami International Airport runway shortly after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Miami-Dade County officials said the crash occurred around 2 p.m. on September 6, 2026, and that three more people were critically injured while two others were hospitalized with less severe injuries.
What happened in the Amazon cargo plane crash?
The 21 Air cargo flight, operating as Flight 7598 from San Juan, landed at Miami International Airport at around 2 p.m. Sunday. Instead of stopping within the length of runway 30, the aircraft continued past the end of the pavement, struck vehicles on the ground and caught fire, sending black smoke rising over the airport.
The plane, part of Amazon’s Prime Air delivery network, came to rest beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, according to images from the scene. Despite the fire, it appeared to be resting on its belly and remained largely intact rather than breaking apart, and emergency vehicles could be seen surrounding the wreckage as crews moved in.
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Investigators have not said why the aircraft failed to stop on the runway. That question is expected to be central to the federal inquiry that followed the Amazon cargo plane crash, and officials have not offered a timeline for when more detail will be available.
Five people killed, five injured
Officials confirmed at Sunday’s news conference that the Amazon cargo plane crash killed at least five people on the ground. Three others were listed in critical condition, and two more were hospitalised with injuries described as less severe.
In total, five people were injured, a group that included the flight’s two pilots. Miami-Dade County officials have not released the names of those killed or hurt, and have not detailed the circumstances that led to the deaths on the ground beyond confirming that vehicles were struck.
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More than 60 fire rescue units responded
More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units were sent to the scene after the Amazon cargo plane crash. Crews arrived to find the aircraft on fire and began working immediately to put out the flames while checking for anyone who needed medical attention.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control before it could spread further, even with the wreckage resting close to a roadway carrying passing traffic. Rescue teams then turned to assessing and treating the injured, coordinating to get the more serious cases to hospitals as quickly as possible.
Boeing 767 operated by 21 Air
The aircraft at the centre of the Amazon cargo plane crash in Miami was a Boeing 767 operated by 21 Air, a cargo airline based in North Carolina that flies on behalf of Amazon’s Prime Air network, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. Carriers such as 21 Air operate aircraft under contract for Amazon’s delivery network rather than flying under the Amazon name themselves.
The plane was 32 years old. It had originally been built as a passenger aircraft and flew in that role for several airlines over more than two decades before being converted for cargo use in 2015, Flightradar24’s records show. That means the jet had spent roughly two-thirds of its service life carrying passengers before it began hauling freight.
NTSB opens plane crash investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information about the Amazon cargo plane crash. Beyond confirming that the aircraft overran the runway, the agency has given no indication of what caused it, and no cause has been established.
Amazon addressed the crash through spokesperson Kelly Nantel, who said in a statement that the company was “working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened.” Nantel said the focus for now was on making sure everyone affected was safe and properly cared for.
Investigations into major aviation accidents in the United States often take many months to complete. The NTSB typically publishes an initial report early on, with detailed findings on the cause following well after the wreckage has been examined, though the agency has not indicated how long that process will take in this case.
Miami airport flight delays after the crash
The Amazon cargo plane crash disrupted air traffic at Miami International Airport for hours afterward. About 250 flights were delayed by late Sunday afternoon, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions nationwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration also grounded flights at the airport for several hours, cancelling more than 160 and delaying hundreds more during what was already a busy Labor Day weekend for holiday travel across the United States. Miami International Airport handles heavy passenger and cargo traffic to and from the Caribbean and Latin America, which meant the disruption from Sunday’s crash rippled through schedules for the rest of the day.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the Amazon cargo plane crash remains in its early stages, and officials have not set a timeline for determining what caused the aircraft to overrun the runway.
