A recent preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that an air traffic controller neglected to inform the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane about strong tailwinds prior to their landing in Miami. This miscommunication contributed to the plane’s runway departure, resulting in the tragic deaths of five individuals last month.
Interestingly, just a few minutes before the cargo plane was cleared for landing, the same controller had warned another flight about winds gusting up to 25 mph from the south. However, the report indicated that the controller failed to relay this crucial wind information to the Amazon pilots.
Federal regulations dictate that when there is a tailwind component, both the wind direction and velocity must be conveyed to pilots during landing authorizations. Yet, the report did not determine the exact cause of the crash, and the full investigation may take over a year to conclude.
The plane, which was transporting packages of contact lenses for Amazon, approached too quickly after arriving from Puerto Rico and overshot the runway by about 1,200 feet on September 6. It collided with a van that was carrying workers for an airplane cleaning service.
Sadly, all five passengers in the van lost their lives, while two additional individuals in the van suffered severe injuries, along with the driver of a car struck by the aircraft. The two pilots on the cargo plane sustained only minor injuries.
Challenges of Tailwinds During Landing
Experts suggest that weather conditions likely played a role in this incident. Tailwinds can complicate landing operations, making it difficult to slow the aircraft and manage its landing trajectory.
“When you’re dealing with winds like those, it’s the controller’s duty to communicate them to the pilot, especially during landing and in gusty conditions,” remarked Tony Mello, a former FAA official overseeing air traffic control in the central U.S.
Landing with a gusty tailwind demands heightened attention from the pilot, but it is certainly achievable, according to former NTSB member John Goglia. He noted that while the failure to report wind conditions was a serious oversight, it alone wouldn’t cause a crash. There are usually multiple contributing factors to any accident.
Little Runway Left Upon Arrival
Cockpit voice recordings provided insights into the flight’s final moments; one pilot expressed concerns about their speed as they approached the runway, yet the other pilot did not respond consistently. The two had actually flown together for the first time earlier that same day, which may have contributed to communication lapses.
As noted in the preliminary NTSB report, automated alerts warned of their high descent speed and imminent ground contact. When they finally landed, the plane was traveling at 184 mph and was already lengthy past the start of the runway.
It appears the pilots may have attempted to abort the landing too late. Flight data indicated that they initially applied the brakes, then released them as they prepared for a go-around, only to reapply them with just about 415 feet of runway left.
The plane veered off the paved surface while still going at 130 mph, struck some airport equipment, crashed into the cleaning crew’s van, breached a perimeter fence, struck a car on a public road, and finally stopped with its nose lodged in a parking lot fence.
Commitment to Safety
In response to the crash, Amazon has temporarily ended its partnership with 21 Air, the airline that operated the aircraft, which had been transporting packages for Amazon since 2024.
Interestingly, the Boeing 767 involved in the incident was 32 years old; it was originally built for passenger transport before being converted into a cargo plane in June 2016, according to the preliminary report.
21 Air issued a statement emphasizing that safety is central to their operations. They mentioned that they are carefully examining the details in the NTSB’s preliminary report, alongside their internal safety protocols, and will take necessary steps to enhance safety based on established findings.
This Miami crash occurred less than a year after another tragic incident where a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport after losing engine power during takeoff. That accident resulted in the deaths of all three pilots and twelve others on the ground, with numerous additional injuries.
