- 21 Air Boeing 767 overran Miami runway on 6 September 2026
- Crew attempted go-around but did not deploy thrust reversers or speed brakes
- Aircraft touched down at 158 kt. beyond standard touchdown zone
- Five people killed and five injured when aircraft struck vehicles
- NTSB investigating absence of EMAS at runway end
Pilots flying the 21 Air Boeing 767-300 freighter that overran its runway at Miami on 6 September 2026 attempted a go-around following a problematic landing that may have prevented automatic speed-reduction devices from activating, data released by the NTSB suggests. The aircraft’s nose and right main landing gear touched down on Miami International Airport’s Runway 30 at a ground speed of 158 kt., investigator-in-charge Chihoon Shin stated during a media briefing late on 8 September 2026.
Seven seconds later, with the left landing gear bogie still off the runway, brakes were applied. The left gear then touched down 11 seconds after the main and right bogies. The aircraft was moving at 134 kt. Four seconds later, the brakes were released and throttles increased to values consistent with go-around thrust. Four seconds after the apparent go-around attempt, throttles were reduced to idle power, brakes were reapplied and the ground speed was 117 kt. The throttles remained at idle and brakes continued to be applied until the end of the recording.
Data pulled from the flight data recorder showed no indication that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed. The final recorded ground speed was 65 kt. On the 767, both main gear bogies must be down to activate armed speed brakes or deploy thrust reversers, though speed brakes and wheel braking can be applied manually. ADS-B data and unverified videos shared online show the freighter touched down at least 4,000 ft. down the 9,360 ft. runway, beyond the standard touchdown zone of 3,000 ft. maximum.
Authorities confirmed five fatalities after an Amazon Air cargo plane overshot the runway at Miami International Airport (MIA), crossed a nearby perimeter road, struck multiple vehicles, and caught fire, resulting in at least five deaths and five injuries.
The aircraft, a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 cargo jet registered as N1997A, was operating as 21 Air Flight 7598 on behalf of Amazon Prime Air. It was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it overran Runway 30 at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time. The FAA said the 21 Air flight overran the runway around 2 p.m. local time. The airline is a cargo carrier with an operations center in Miami that performs flights for companies like Amazon and DHL.
After breaking past the runway boundary, the heavy jet barrelled across a road and collided with several vehicles parked or driving near a local UPS facility on the northwest side of the airport grounds.
The aircraft is leased from New York based and Atlas wholly owned Andromeda Leasing II LLC. It was previously dry-leased via Titan Aviation Leasing (a subsidiary of Atlas Air) and operated on behalf of Amazon Air (initially by Atlas Air, later transitioning operations to 21 Air in 2025). Built in 1994 as a passenger jet before conversion to a freighter, previously leased from AWAS earlier in its passenger career.
Out of the five injured individuals rushed to the hospital, three remain in critical condition. Investigators are still clarifying whether the deceased were occupants of the struck vehicles or crew members on board the plane. “It wasn’t immediately clear whether the pilots survived or whether those killed were all in vehicles when the plane struck.” –
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) immediately put a ground stop into effect for inbound flights while emergency response crews controlled the fire and secured the scene. While the initial ground stop was lifted later that evening, severe ground delays are expected to cascade into Monday due to the disabled aircraft and damaged navigational equipment near the runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA launched a full investigation into what caused the runway excursion. Preliminary checks showed no structural debris or aircraft parts left on the actual runway pavement before the overrun occurred.
Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chair, shared: “We are interviewing the pilots and we want to hear their account of the accident before we release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder. Should EMAS be everywhere at every airport? That will be a key part of our investigation.”
Chihoon Shin, NTSB Investigator-in-Charge, shared: “What we need to do is talk to the crew and get their account to understand how they are manipulating the controls in order to get a better understanding of the situation. Crew interviews will help fill in some of the blanks for us in terms of actions that they might have done but not verbalised.”
