On Sunday, September 6, a serious aviation accident involving a cargo Boeing 767-300 operating an Amazon Prime Air flight occurred at Miami International Airport (USA). According to emergency services, the aircraft failed to stop within the runway after landing, veered off its end, struck several vehicles, and caught fire. As of the morning of September 7, the deaths of at least five people have been confirmed, with five others injured, three of them in critical condition.
Timeline and circumstances of the incident
According to available information, the incident occurred at around 14:00 local time. Prime Air flight 7598 was operating a flight from San Juan (Puerto Rico) to Miami on a Boeing 767-300 operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon. After landing, the aircraft was not stopped within the runway boundaries: it ran off the airport perimeter and collided with vehicles present there, after which a fire broke out. More than 60 rescue units and around 200 emergency service personnel worked at the scene, who, in addition to evacuating the injured, fought a leak of aviation fuel.
Casualties and injuries
It has been officially confirmed that at least five people died as a result of the accident, five were injured, three of them in critical condition. According to rescue workers, in the initial phase the pilot and co-pilot remained trapped inside the cockpit, while a number of people were pinned in their vehicles after the collision. The exact number of casualties at the time of publication may have been refined as rescue and investigation services continued their work.
Response of emergency services and the airport
Due to the accident, operations at Miami International Airport were temporarily suspended: all runways and taxiways were closed, leading to flight delays and cancellations. As the aftermath was cleared and the area cleaned up, part of the airport's operations were resumed. More than 60 units and around 200 emergency service specialists operated at the scene, who also had to deal with a spill of aviation fuel.
Conflicting data
The initial summary of the incident cited the figure of "seven dead," however all four verified sources (rbc.ua, news.ru, oxu.az, osnmedia.ru) and the statements of emergency services use the wording "at least five dead and five injured, three in critical condition." The discrepancy is likely related to an early, still unconfirmed count of casualties, including possible fatalities in the vehicles struck by the aircraft. Until an official clarification from the NTSB and the State of Florida authorities, the XAB.info editorial team relies on the conservative confirmed figure — at least five dead.
Investigation and background
The cause of the accident had not been established at the time of publication. The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), while the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is concurrently examining the circumstances of the incident. It is separately noted that this is not the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 767 operating cargo flights for Amazon Prime Air: a previous tragedy involving the same type of aircraft occurred in 2019.
Amazon's position
Amazon stated that the company is "shocked" by the tragedy and confirmed that it is cooperating with authorities during the investigation. The operating company 21 Air and the carrier involved in Prime Air flight 7598 have also been brought into the work of the investigation teams. The official NTSB report with conclusions on the causes of the runway excursion and fire is expected upon completion of the technical and operational analysis.
