One of the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane repeatedly warned the other that the aircraft was "too fast" in the moments before it crashed at Miami International Airport, killing five people on the ground, according to newly released data from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The NTSB's preliminary findings, based on the cockpit voice recorder, state that the warnings occurred nearly two minutes before the crash. The pilot receiving the warnings did not provide a consistent verbal response, the report noted.
The Amazon cargo jet, operated by 21 Air and identified as a Boeing 767, was on approach to Miami International Airport on Sunday when it made an unstable landing. Data from the flight recorder indicated that the plane touched down approximately 5,000 feet down the 9,360-foot runway. After touchdown, the pilots briefly advanced the throttles and released the brakes in an apparent attempt to go around before abandoning the maneuver about four seconds later.
The cockpit voice recorder also captured a series of automated alerts, including "sink rate" and "too low terrain" warnings, as the aircraft descended. Available data also indicates that the thrust reversers and speed brakes did not deploy upon landing.
The aircraft overran the end of the runway by about 1,300 feet, striking a van. The five occupants of the van, who were part of a crew cleaning planes at the airport, were killed. Five other individuals sustained injuries, two of whom were in critical condition.
The pilots, identified as Capt. Joseph Carroll, 55, and First Officer Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, both of 21 Air, were injured in the crash but were treated and released before speaking with investigators. The full transcript of the cockpit conversation has not yet been released as the investigation continues.