At least 5 dead after Amazon cargo plane speeds off runway at Miami airport

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

Miami-Dade Rescue Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said the crash  which sent heavy black smoke into the air  left the pilot and co-pilot trapped in the cockpit, along with people trapped inside cars, and one more person pinned beneath a vehicle. The airport halted much of its afternoon flight schedule as a result, and crews were still working hours later to contain a fuel leak from the plane, per Jadallah.

Photos from the scene showed the jet had come to rest on its belly near two semi-trucks along a roadway, largely intact aside from fire damage.

The flight was run by North Carolina–based cargo carrier 21 Air. AP reports, citing flight-tracking site Flightradar24, that the Boeing 767 was 32 years old, originally built as a passenger jet and flown by multiple airlines for more than 20 years before being converted for cargo use in 2015.

Flight-tracking site FlightAware reported roughly 250 delays at the airport by late Sunday afternoon.

An Amazon cargo plane sits at the Miami International Airport (MIA) after it overshot the runway. (Photo: AP)

The National Transportation Safety Board said it would send an investigative team to Miami, headed by Chair Jennifer Homendy. Amazon released a statement saying it would cooperate with the investigation, adding: “We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport.” The company also extended condolences to those affected.

A nearby electronics shop owner, Jackson Lee, told AP he went outside with coworkers after the crash and saw smoke rising near the airport fence line. Describing how normalized the airport’s noise had become, he said, “We hear planes taking off and landing every five minutes. I thought I’d got used to it.” He added that he never expected an incident to happen so close to his shop.