Daijiworld Media Network – Miami
Miami, Sep 9: Five employees of an airline cleaning company were killed when an Amazon-branded cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday and crashed into a company van and a passenger SUV, authorities said.
The deceased were identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, Julio C Pineda, 75, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. All five were travelling in a van operated by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a contract cleaning company serving airlines.
Five other people were injured in the crash and taken to hospital. Eugenio Corredor, 79, and Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, remained in critical condition, while Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres, 36, was reported to be stable. The aircraft’s two pilots, Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, and Joseph Carol, 55, were treated and later released.
National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said Captain Carol had 7,145 hours of flight experience, while first officer Silva Molina had logged 2,655 hours. Both pilots were qualified to operate the Boeing 767-300 involved in the crash and were due to be interviewed by investigators.
The aircraft was carrying more than 32,000 pounds of cargo, mostly contact lenses, at the time of the accident. Amazon said the flight was operated by 21 Air, whose chief executive Keith Winters said the airline was cooperating with federal investigators and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
The plane was making its third trip of the day when it crashed. It had earlier flown from Cincinnati to Miami and then from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft was returning from San Juan when it overran the runway while landing at Miami.
According to the NTSB, the plane struck navigational aids and other equipment before hitting the Professional Ocean Service van, which was transporting employees inside the airport. It then broke through a perimeter fence and struck a Toyota SUV travelling on Northwest 67th Avenue outside the airport before continuing into a grassy area and hitting another fence near a section where Tesla robotaxis were stationed.
NTSB investigator-in-charge Chihoon Shin said the aircraft’s flight data recorder showed an increase in thrust during the landing that was consistent with an attempted go-around, a manoeuvre in which a pilot aborts a landing and attempts to land again.
Four seconds later, the throttles were reduced to idle power and the landing gear brakes were reapplied. However, the aircraft’s speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed before the recording ended. Investigators said it was too early to determine why those systems were not used.
The cleaning company said it was “heartbroken” by the deaths of its employees and described them as family members rather than simply workers. The company expressed condolences to the victims’ families and prayers for those injured in the crash.
Relatives and neighbours remembered some of the victims as kind and helpful individuals. Leon’s family said he and his co-workers were nearing the end of their shift when the crash occurred, while neighbours described Pineda as a jovial and generous man who was known for telling jokes and performing magic tricks.
The NTSB investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.