A Boeing 767-300 cargo plane operating as an Amazon Air flight crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon after it overran the runway during landing, struck vehicles, and caught fire. The accident led to a temporary grounding of flights at the airport and sent more than 60 fire rescue units to the scene. Multiple injuries were reported, but the seriousness of those injuries and the total damage were not immediately clear.

Federal Aviation Administration officials identified the plane as 21 Air Flight 7598. It had departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was scheduled to land at Miami International when the crew was unable to stop the Boeing 767-300 on the runway. The aircraft ended up beyond the paved runway surface, on the other side of a road that rings the airport, according to emergency officials and video footage from the scene.

Key facts at a glance

• Date and time: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, around 2 p.m. local time.
• Location: Miami International Airport.
• Flight: 21 Air Flight 7598, operating for Amazon Air.
• Aircraft: Boeing 767-300 freighter.
• Route: San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami.
• Sequence of events: The aircraft overran the runway during landing, collided with vehicles, and caught fire.
• Emergency response: More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units were deployed and flights at the airport were grounded.
• Injuries: Multiple people were injured; detailed reports were pending.

What is known about the accident

The FAA said in a statement that 21 Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6. The agency also confirmed that the Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft had departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The statement said airport operations were halted as a result of the crash, and it did not provide information about the number of crew members on board or the precise number of vehicles that were struck.

Local television reports showed thick black smoke rising from the area where the plane came to rest. The tail of the jet clearly carried the Amazon logo, and the aircraft was stopped on grass or pavement beyond a perimeter road rather than on the runway itself. Rescue crews surrounded the airplane as fire suppressant was applied to the burning structure. The visual evidence pointed to a hard landing that quickly became a runway overrun, though the exact sequence of events will likely be the subject of a lengthy investigation.

Because the aircraft was a freighter rather than a passenger plane, the number of people at direct risk during the landing was likely limited to the flight deck crew. Freighter crews on a Boeing 767 typically include two or three pilots and sometimes additional crew members. However, the aircraft struck vehicles on or near the airport grounds, which can create a separate group of injuries. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said multiple people were injured, but they did not immediately provide exact numbers, names, or details about how serious the injuries were.

Amazon confirms the incident

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement: “We can confirm that an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air experienced an incident while attempting to land at Miami International Airport today. This is a fast-moving situation and we’re still gathering details. We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened. Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved. We’re doing everything we can to support those affected.”

The company did not say what cargo was aboard the flight, how many crew members were on the airplane, or how many vehicles were hit. The statement also did not address whether the plane was destroyed or whether it would be salvageable. The priority, according to Amazon, was supporting the people involved and cooperating with first responders and regulators.

The role of 21 Air in the Amazon Air network

21 Air is a cargo carrier that has flown for Amazon Air as part of a broader network of partner-operated freighters. These carriers provide capacity that lets Amazon run two-day and same-day delivery logistics across the United States and into nearby regions. Amazon Air itself does not operate as a traditional airline that sells tickets to passengers; instead, it uses aircraft owned and flown by specialized cargo airlines under contract. Amazon Air largely handles time-sensitive e-commerce packages, including items moving between fulfillment centers and sortation centers before they are transferred to delivery vans.

The partnership structure means that different Amazon Air flights may be operated by a variety of airlines. Some of those carriers are large global cargo airlines, while others are smaller regional specialists such as 21 Air. While the paint scheme on the outside of the aircraft may look like an Amazon-branded operation, the crew members who fly the plane are employees of the partner airline rather than Amazon corporate employees. That distinction matters during an accident because the operating airline is primarily responsible for the flight’s safety procedures, maintenance, crew training, and operational records.

A common aircraft for cargo operations

The Boeing 767-300F is a twin-engine freighter that has become a common sight in express cargo fleets around the world. It was designed to carry palletized and containerized cargo on routes that can range from short regional hops to transcontinental service. The variant involved in this crash was a 767-300, a stretched version of Boeing’s 767 family. Cargo airlines use it because it offers a strong balance of payload capacity, fuel efficiency, and operating cost compared with larger widebody freighters.

For Amazon Air specifically, Boeing 767 freighters are among the most frequently used aircraft. Many were converted from former passenger jets, while others were built as dedicated freighters. A typical 767-300F can carry more than 100,000 pounds of cargo, depending on configuration and installed weight-reduction measures. That capacity is important for keeping package volumes moving through the major air hubs that connect regional sortation centers. The route from San Juan to Miami is an important feeder route for cargo coming out of Puerto Rico, as well as for packages that arrive on the island and then need to be moved into the continental United States for final delivery.

How runway overruns are investigated

A runway overrun is one of the most closely studied categories of aviation accident. It occurs when an aircraft is unable to stop before reaching the end of the usable runway surface. Runway overruns can be caused by a very wide range of factors, including excessive approach speed, late touchdown, contaminated or slippery runway surfaces, adverse wind, brake malfunction, hydraulic failure, tire failure, weight imbalance, or pilot error. Investigators usually pull flight data recorder information, cockpit voice data, airport surveillance radar, maintenance logs, pilot training records, weather reports, and communications with air traffic control to reconstruct exactly what happened.

In this case, the focus will likely be on the plane’s landing performance and the actions of the crew during the final approach and touchdown. The FAA will work alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, which typically leads accident investigations for civilian aircraft incidents in the United States. Because the flight began in Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, the investigators can coordinate with agencies in both jurisdictions without dealing with international aviation authorities in a separate country. That may make it easier to obtain crew records, maintenance documents, and operational data from 21 Air.

The investigation is expected to also examine why the aircraft traveled past the runway and ended up near or across a perimeter road. Accident investigators commonly look at the distance between the point where the aircraft touched down and the end of the runway, the speed at which the aircraft crossed the runway threshold, the use of thrust reversers and landing gear brakes, and whether there were any obstructions on the airport grounds. If the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure during landing, such as a brake or tire problem, that could become a central

Source:The Verge News