Amazon Cargo Jet Runs Off Miami Runway, Killing Five Airline Cleaning Workers

Five airline cleaning workers were killed when an Amazon Air cargo jet overran a runway at Miami International Airport, slammed into their van and continued through airport fencing before striking an SUV on a nearby street.

Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47, were identified Tuesday by Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz. Their van belonged to Professional Ocean Service Corp., an aircraft cleaning contractor.

Seven workers were riding in the Ford Econoline when the Boeing 767 overran Runway 30 on Sunday. The aircraft struck navigational equipment, tore through a perimeter fence and collided with a Toyota Corolla Cross traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue.

Among the five other people injured were the two pilots, who have since left the hospital. Two people were still in critical condition Tuesday, while another was listed as stable.

The NTSB is examining where the aircraft touched down, its speed and braking, weather conditions, mechanical systems and the crew's decisions during the landing. Why the pilots did not abandon the approach and try again has not been determined.

Flight 7598 was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was operated by 21 Air LLC for Amazon Air. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 originally carried passengers before being converted for cargo use in 2015.

The jet traveled approximately 1,300 feet beyond the paved runway surface, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. Video appears to show the aircraft staying airborne well down the runway as strong winds were reported around Miami that afternoon.

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered and sent to Washington for examination. Interviews with the pilots, air traffic controllers and others are also being scheduled to help reconstruct the final minutes of the flight.

Runway protections at Miami International Airport are another part of the federal inquiry. Miami does not have an Engineered Materials Arresting System, which uses lightweight, crushable material beyond a runway to help stop aircraft during overruns.

Current federal requirements do not compel Miami to install the system because the airport has a 1,000-foot safety buffer. Two of its four runways were still closed Tuesday while the NTSB documented wreckage and collected information from the crash site.

Amazon said it is cooperating with the inquiry and offered condolences to the victims' families. Professional Ocean Service Corp. described its employees as family and said their deaths had changed the lives of coworkers and loved ones.