Amazon has halted its working relationship with 21 Air following a deadly incident last week in which a cargo plane carrying the online retailer's packages overshot a Miami runway, resulting in five fatalities. The crash occurred on Sept. 6 when the Boeing 767 approached the runway at high speed, traveling approximately 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the end of the strip before colliding with a van carrying plane cleaning staff. All five individuals who died were inside the vehicle, while five others sustained injuries.
"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." Based in North Carolina, 21 Air had been transporting packages for Amazon since 2024. The carrier did not immediately respond on Sunday to a request for comment concerning Amazon's action.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to review 21 Air’s operations, maintenance logs, airport weather conditions, and the plane's ownership history. Preliminary flight information published by the NTSB on Sept. 9 revealed that one pilot cautioned the other that they were traveling too fast during the landing approach and after making contact with the ground. Cockpit audio also included automated system warnings about the aircraft's rate of descent and approaching terrain.
Investigators will release the full transcript of the cockpit audio later in the inquiry. Data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24 shows the 32-year-old aircraft was originally manufactured for passenger transport and flew for several international airlines for more than 20 years before being converted to a cargo freighter in 2015.
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