Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 10
NTSB Says Amazon 767 Pilots Heard 7 Alarms Before 5-Death Miami Crash
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 10

NTSB Says Amazon 767 Pilots Heard 7 Alarms Before 5-Death Miami Crash

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 10

Summary

  • Seven cockpit warnings sounded before the Amazon Air 767 touched down in Miami, while one pilot repeatedly said the jet was going "too fast," according to a preliminary NTSB voice-recorder summary.
  • The alerts included two "sink rate" and five "too low terrain" warnings, and investigators said the other pilot gave no consistent verbal response to the speed concerns during the descent.
  • After touchdown, a pilot called for a go-around, matching flight-data evidence that throttles were advanced to full power at nearly 140 mph, then pulled back to idle four seconds later as brakes were reapplied.
  • The 230,000-pound cargo jet, operated for Amazon by 21 Air, overran the runway, hit a van, barriers and an SUV, then caught fire, killing five cleaning workers and leaving three others hospitalized.
  • Investigators planned crew interviews to explain the throttle inputs and why no speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed, while a victim's widow has already filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the pilots, Amazon and 21 Air.

Insights

Why did an experienced crew fail to abort a doomed landing before their cargo jet turned a Miami roadway into a deadly crash site?
Could the intense pressure of e-commerce delivery schedules be pushing older converted cargo planes and their pilots beyond safe limits?