An air traffic controller failed to inform the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane about the potential for strong tailwinds as they approached landing in Miami, a contributing factor that federal investigators say may have played a role in the crash that killed five people last month. The preliminary report, released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), noted that federal regulations require controllers to provide pilots with wind direction and velocity information when a tailwind component exists.
According to the NTSB report, the air traffic controller had issued a wind advisory to a different aircraft just four minutes before clearing the Amazon plane for landing, noting gusts of up to 25 mph from the south. However, this information was not relayed to the pilots of the Amazon cargo plane.
The Boeing 767, carrying contact lenses for Amazon, was traveling at 184 mph upon touchdown and had already passed three-quarters of a mile past the runway's starting point at Miami International Airport on September 6. Experts suggest that tailwinds can make it more difficult for aircraft to slow down and can push them beyond their intended landing zone.
"When you’ve got winds like that, it is your responsibility as a controller to issue that to a pilot, especially on landing and especially when you have gusts," said Tony Mello, a former Federal Aviation Administration official. John Goglia, a former NTSB member, added that while a tailwind requires more concentration from the pilot, it is not inherently impossible to land. Goglia emphasized that failing to share wind conditions was a significant omission, but not necessarily the sole cause of the crash, stating, "Every crash is a chain of events. That’s just one event."
The NTSB preliminary report did not definitively state the cause of the crash, and the full investigation is expected to take more than a year to complete. Cockpit voice recordings revealed that one pilot repeatedly warned his co-pilot about their excessive speed during the approach and after touchdown. The co-pilot, however, did not provide consistent verbal responses to these warnings. Notably, the two pilots were flying together for the first time on the day of the incident.
The aircraft experienced automated warnings regarding its descent speed and proximity to terrain. Data from the plane indicates that the pilots attempted to abort the landing, applying wheel brakes, releasing them to initiate a go-around thrust, and then reapplying the brakes with approximately 415 feet of runway remaining. Despite these actions, the plane veered off the pavement at 130 mph, struck airport equipment and a van carrying cleaning crew workers, crashed through a perimeter fence, hit a car on a public road, and came to rest with its nose against a parking lot fence.
Five people in the van were killed in the crash, and two others in the van sustained serious injuries. The driver of the car that was hit also suffered serious injuries. The two pilots aboard the Amazon plane received minor injuries.
The plane, which was 32 years old and originally built for passengers, was converted to a cargo plane in June 2016. Its operator, 21 Air, had been flying packages for Amazon since 2024. Following the crash, Amazon suspended its partnership with 21 Air. In a statement, 21 Air affirmed that safety is a core focus and that the company is reviewing the NTSB report and its own protocols to implement necessary improvements.
The Miami crash occurred less than a year after a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing three pilots and 12 people on the ground. That incident involved the loss of an engine during a runway acceleration.