Cockpit recordings reveal a pilot warned of excessive speed before an Amazon Air cargo jet overran a Miami runway, resulting in five deaths.

A pilot on an Amazon Air cargo jet warned that the aircraft was descending too fast during an attempted landing at Miami Airport on Sunday. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recordings show the warning occurred roughly one minute and 42 seconds before the cockpit voice recorder stopped. The Boeing 767 subsequently overran the runway by approximately 1,300 feet, colliding with a van and killing five members of a cleaning crew.

Sequence of the Crash

According to the NTSB, the plane touched down awkwardly and continued moving at 138 mph as it neared the end of the runway. Fifteen seconds after landing, the pilots attempted to abort and increased engine thrust for a go-around. However, four seconds later, the throttles were reduced to idle, and the plane departed the paved surface. Data indicates that speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed.

Operational Control and Liability

While the aircraft carried Amazon branding, it was operated by 21 Air, which maintains operational control and employs the flight crew. The pilots, Joseph Carroll and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, were hospitalized and later released. A lawsuit alleging negligence has been filed by the widow of the van driver against Amazon, 21 Air, and the pilots. Former 21 Air pilots have previously alleged that the company discouraged safety reporting and maintained demanding scheduling protocols.