All five people killed in the incident with an Amazon cargo plane at Miami International Airport (Florida) were in a van used to transport cleaning crews, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Investigators will have to figure out why the crew landed in a strong tailwind and did not go around, as well as why the controllers did not change the landing direction.
The age of the victims ranged from 47 to 75 years. The van the victims were in belongs to Professional Ocean Service Corp., which cleans aircraft. The company declined to comment on the disaster out of respect for the families who lost loved ones.
“Our employees are so much more than just the people who work with us every day, they are family and we love them very much. Our hearts and prayers are with each employee and each family whose lives have been forever changed,” the AP quoted the company as saying.
As RTVI reported, on Sunday a Boeing 767-300 cargo plane operated by 21 Air for Amazon skidded off the runway and rammed several cars. The aircraft, arriving from San Juan (Puerto Rico), caught fire. As a result, five people died and the same number were injured.
As authorities later clarified, the plane crashed into a van on the airport grounds, then rammed a fence, drove onto the street outside the air harbor and damaged another SUV there. In total, the Boeing rolled approximately 1,300 feet (396 m) beyond the runway.
About 200 emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Several people were trapped in vehicles, and the pilots were trapped in the cockpit. They were all evacuated.
Of the five victims, two remain in critical condition, one in stable condition. Both pilots were released from the hospital.
The investigation into the crash will focus on the lack of emergency braking systems for aircraft at the Miami airport, AP adds.
One of the factors that could have caused the plane to skid off the runway was a strong tailwind, according to experts interviewed by the AP. Investigators will have to figure out why the pilots did not abort the landing and go around, and why airport controllers did not change the direction of the landing.
