Amazon Cargo Plane in Miami Accident Dismantled for Relocation

The Amazon cargo plane that veered off the runway at Miami International Airport last Sunday is currently being dismantled for relocation, according to a spokesperson from the airport who spoke with Local 10 News.

As reported by the media outlet, several cranes are positioned around the damaged aircraft while crews work to dismantle its components and collect debris scattered across the parking lot, grass, and a portion of the runway.

The date for the relocation has not yet been set.

Removing the plane is urgent for the airport: since the incident, only three out of four runways have been operational, causing numerous flight delays and reducing the terminal's full capacity.

Ongoing Investigation by NTSB

While the dismantling process is underway, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its on-site investigation and plans to remain there for approximately another week.

Investigators have started to uncover critical information from the aircraft's black boxes.

The cockpit voice recorder indicates that one of the pilots warned about the plane's excessive speed more than a minute before it first touched down, yet did not receive a consistent verbal response from the other pilot. The recordings also captured automated terrain proximity alerts during the descent.

In the final 15 seconds of the recording, a pilot called for a go-around maneuver to attempt landing again. Five seconds later, the plane had already overrun the runway.

The flight data recorder also reveals that the throttles were at full power seconds before impact, and neither the speed brakes nor thrust reversers were deployed, which likely contributed to the aircraft's inability to stop in time.

Expert Analysis on Crew Decisions

Aviation expert Pablo Rojas described the crew's decision-making process as critical. "Initially, they were trying to land, slow down the plane, stop it; then they hesitated and might have attempted a go-around, meaning to accelerate again. Then they made another decision change, which was to try landing again," he explained. "Such hesitation is deadly on a runway like this," he concluded.

The NTSB still faces a lengthy process before officially determining the cause of the crash. In addition to analyzing black box data and interviewing the pilots, investigators will examine the weather conditions on the day of the incident, the mechanical history of the 32-year-old aircraft, and the training records of the two crew members.

Both pilots survived the accident. Witness Abraham Altamar encountered pilot Jaime Felipe Silva Molina moments after he escaped the burning aircraft. He lent him his phone to call his wife and overheard part of the conversation: "He was saying, 'Oh, my career, my career is over.'"

Tragic Outcome and Legal Actions

The accident occurred on Sunday at 1:53 p.m. local time when the Prime Air Flight 7598 Boeing 767-300 overshot the runway by about 1,300 feet (396 meters), breached a perimeter fence, and collided with a car and a van carrying seven cleaning workers before catching fire.

Five individuals, all of Cuban descent, lost their lives in the van: Rolando Alemán León (55), Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo (53), Julio C. Pineda (75), Carlos Acosta Fajardo (53), and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo (47).

On Monday, the law firm Morgan & Morgan filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Miami-Dade court against Amazon.com Inc. and 21 Air LLC, among others, alleging criminal negligence, pilot error, and inadequate training, on behalf of the family of Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo.