‘Multiple patients’ after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport

Amazon Cargo Jet Overruns Runway at Miami International, Leaving Multiple Injured

Ecorescuezone.com – A Boeing 767 freighter belonging to Amazon’s Prime Air network slid past the end of a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, sending its tail section over the perimeter fence and engulfing the aircraft in dense black smoke. Local fire crews confirmed that multiple people were treated as patients in the aftermath, though authorities had not yet determined whether any fatalities resulted from the incident.

The crash unfolded around 2 p.m. Eastern Time, when Flight 7598 — a cargo operation that had departed Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico — touched down and failed to stop within the available runway length. The aircraft, which had been flying under the contract of 21 Air, a dedicated freight carrier, came to rest disabled at the northwest end of the airport, its tail draped over the boundary fence. Social-media footage captured the scene within minutes: a wide-body jet sitting well beyond the paved surface, flames and thick columns of smoke billowing from the fuselage.

Emergency Response and Airport Shutdown

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue characterized the scene as active and dispatched more than 60 units to the site. Crews worked to knock down the fire while treating injured personnel. The department used the phrase “multiple patients” in its initial public update, a standard triage term indicating that several individuals required medical attention, though the severity of their conditions was not immediately disclosed.

The Miami-Dade Aviation Department confirmed that the aircraft had overrun what it described as the diagonal runway and remained immobilized at the airport’s northwest extremity. In the immediate aftermath, every runway and taxiway at MIA was shut down as of 3:00 p.m. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop — a directive halting all departures — initially set to expire at 3 p.m. and subsequently extended to 5:30 p.m. to give first responders adequate time to secure the scene and assess structural damage to the airframe.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that the ground stop was ordered specifically so emergency teams could evaluate the crash site without interference from departing aircraft. He cautioned travelers to expect “significant delays and potential cancellations,” a warning that rippled through one of the busiest gate networks in the country. Miami International handles roughly 50 million passengers annually and serves as a primary hub for both passenger and freight operations across the southeastern United States and the Caribbean. A multi-hour closure of all runways at such a facility cascades delays into connecting flights, cargo schedules, and regional supply chains.

Amazon and 21 Air Respond

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel confirmed that the aircraft was being operated by 21 Air, a contract cargo carrier that flies freight on behalf of the e-commerce giant’s logistics network. In a social-media post, Nantel acknowledged the fluidity of the situation:

“This is a fast-moving situation and we’re still gathering details. We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened. Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected.”

The Boeing 767 is a twin-engine, wide-body jet first introduced in the late 1970s. While passenger variants have largely been retired from major airline fleets, the 767 remains a workhorse of the cargo world, prized for its long range and large payload capacity. Amazon’s Prime Air division has expanded its own fleet of converted 767s in recent years to move packages between distribution centers and fulfillment hubs, often on routes that thread through Caribbean and Central American gateways. The San Juan-to-Miami corridor is a well-traveled freight lane, carrying goods between Puerto Rico’s manufacturing and re-export operations and the continental distribution infrastructure.

Investigation and Broader Implications

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that it would open a formal investigation into the crash. Investigators will examine runway conditions, weather at the time of landing, aircraft maintenance records, pilot inputs, and any mechanical anomalies that might explain why the jet failed to decelerate within the available distance. The FAA’s National Transportation Safety Board typically joins such inquiries, though the agency’s role was not specified in the initial statement.

For travelers stranded at MIA on Sunday evening, the extended ground stop meant hours of waiting in terminal concourses, with rebooking and cancellation procedures activated across multiple carriers. Cargo operators, including those moving perishable goods through Miami’s international freight terminals, faced schedule disruptions that could ripple into Monday’s distribution cycles. The northwest-end location of the disabled aircraft, near the airport’s perimeter, complicated recovery operations and raised questions about how long the airframe would remain in place before tow-out or dismantling could begin.

As of the latest available updates, no official fatality count had been released. Fire crews continued to manage residual hot spots on the airframe while investigators secured the site. The full circumstances of why a fully loaded freighter overran its landing runway at one of America’s most experienced airports remain under examination, and further details were expected in the days following the incident.