NewzMIAMI (AP) — Amazon said Sunday that it has suspended its partnership with 21 Air after one of the cargo carrier's planes loaded with Amazon packages careened off a Miami runway last week and killed five people.The Boeing 767 came in fast on Sept. 6 and then barreled roughly 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the end of the runway and smashed into a van carrying workers at a plane cleaning company. All five people who died were in the van.
Five others were hurt.“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said a statement. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.”North Carolina-based 21 had flown packages for Amazon since 2024. The company didn't immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment about Amazon's decision.The jet’s ownership history, weather conditions at the airport, maintenance records and operations by 21 Air were expected to be reviewed by investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board.Flight information released by the NTSB on Sept.
9 revealed one of the pilots warned his counterpart they were going too fast as they approached for landing and after touchdown.The cockpit audio recordings also captured a series of automated warnings from the plane about the speed of descent and the approaching terrain. The full transcript of the cockpit conversation won’t be released until later in the investigation.The 32-year-old Boeing was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines in foreign countries for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24. E-commerce giant Amazon says it is suspending work with the firm that operated a cargo plane that was involved in a fatal crash in Miami this month.
“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air,” an Amazon spokesperson said on Sunday. On 6 September, the 21 Air-operated Boeing jet overshot a runway at Miami International Airport and hit several vehicles, killing five people. The BBC has contacted 21 Air for comment.
The firm previously said it was “devastated by the accident” and that it is cooperating with authorities to investigate the incident. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said: “Safety has always been our top priority, whether in our own operations or when we’re working with partners.” “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected,” she added.
21 Air is an all-cargo carrier that operates flights for major firms like Amazon and DHL. The Boeing 767-300 cargo plane crashed in Miami after departing from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft overshot the runway, crashing into nearby vehicles before skidding to a stop.
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