This 21 Air Boeing 767-33A(ER)(BDSF), operating for Amazon Prime Air (N1997A) as flight CSB7598, overran the runway at Miami International Airport at around 100 knots before coming to a stop at the airport's northwest end, according to Flightradar24 data. pic.twitter.com/RWWddIyqyL

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) September 6, 2026

What happened to those on board and nearby

Miami-Dade officials said five people were killed, three were taken to hospital in a critical condition, and two more were treated for less serious injuries. Officials said on Sunday it was too early to say whether those who died had been on the plane or in the vehicles it struck.

Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said the pilot and co-pilot were trapped in the cockpit, along with people inside some of the cars hit by the plane. Firefighters also freed one person who had been pinned underneath a vehicle.

More than 60 units and around 200 firefighters responded to the emergency situation that arose after the crash. Crews found the aircraft “engulfed in flames” with heavy smoke coming from a fire in the engine compartment, which the fire department described as “complex”. Specialist teams used foam to put out the blaze and worked to shut down the aircraft’s engine, though a fuel leak was still being managed hours later. The fire department said the incident posed no risk to the wider community.

NEW: An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo jet overran the runway at Miami International Airport and caught fire.

Heavy black smoke visible from across the city.

The FAA issued a ground stop. pic.twitter.com/RNL2db0GRI

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 6, 2026

There were thunderstorms and gusting winds of up to 30mph in the Miami area when the plane landed, the National Weather Service said, though officials had not confirmed by Sunday evening whether weather played any part in the crash.

What pilots and safety experts are asking

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, a retired United Airlines pilot, said a domestic cargo flight on a 767 would typically be flown by just a pilot and co-pilot. He said the key question was whether the plane landed inside the runway’s designated touchdown zone, normally within the first 3,000 feet, or whether it should instead have aborted the landing.

Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former inspector general at the US Transportation Department, said footage of the landing showed the plane staying above the runway for some time without lowering its nose to bring the main wheels down. “It didn’t touch down right away, and so it lost a lot of critical real estate,” she said, adding that the aircraft was “literally still flying” for longer than it should have been.

Schiavo also noted that Miami’s airport does not have the crushable-material safety beds now installed at more than 120 US airports to help stop planes that run off the end of a runway. The US Federal Aviation Administration credits those systems with helping save nearly 500 lives.

Frustration and long queues at the airport

More than 160 flights were cancelled and almost 325 delayed by Sunday night, according to FlightAware, with some flights diverted to Orlando, over 200 miles north. BBC reports that passengers described long queues, tired faces and confusion at the airport after the crash.

One traveller, named Faroush, said he had been trying to get to San Francisco: “The earliest I could find to fly to San Francisco was Tuesday morning,” he said, adding he would likely need a hotel for the extra nights in Miami.

An Amazon spokesperson said the company was “heartbroken” by the deaths, adding: “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.” The company said it would cooperate with any investigation into the crash.

Investigation under way

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has sent a “go team” to Miami, led by chairperson Jennifer Homendy, and is expected to further brief the media on Monday. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz described the scene as “very active”, saying it “included a plane and included vehicles as well”.

The Miami crash follows a similar incident last year in which a UPS cargo plane crashed after losing an engine while taking off from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. That crash killed all three pilots on board and 12 people on the ground, with 23 more injured.