NTSB: Air Traffic Controller Did Not Warn Amazon Pilots of Tailwind

An air traffic controller did not inform the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane about the potential for strong tailwinds as they approached for landing, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The lack of this information is cited in the aftermath of the Sept. 6 crash that killed five people in Miami.

Just four minutes prior to clearing the Amazon flight for landing, the controller had advised another aircraft about wind gusts of up to 25 mph from the south. However, the NTSB report states the controller “did not issue information about the wind” to the pilots of the Amazon cargo plane. Federal regulations require that both wind direction and velocity be stated when authorizing runway use if a tailwind component exists.

The aircraft, operated by 21 Air which flies packages for Amazon, was carrying contact lenses when it came in fast and overshot the runway at Miami International Airport by approximately 1,200 feet. It then collided with a van occupied by workers for an airplane cleaning company, resulting in the deaths of the five individuals inside the van. Two other van occupants sustained serious injuries, as did a driver of a car struck by the plane. The two pilots aboard the cargo plane suffered minor injuries.

Previously released cockpit voice recordings indicated that one of the pilots repeatedly warned his co-pilot about excessive speed during the approach and after touchdown. The NTSB noted that the co-pilot did not consistently respond to these warnings. The two pilots had flown together for the first time earlier on the day of the crash.

Automated warnings from the plane regarding descent speed and approaching terrain were also captured in the cockpit audio. The plane's landing gear made contact with the runway late, reducing the available stopping distance. Experts suggest that strong winds from approaching storms may have created a tailwind that contributed to the plane's forward momentum.

Following the incident, Amazon suspended its partnership with 21 Air, a North Carolina-based carrier that had been transporting packages for Amazon since 2024. The Boeing 767 involved in the crash was 32 years old and had been converted from a passenger jet to a cargo plane in June 2016.

This crash occurred less than a year after a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing its three pilots and 12 people on the ground. That incident involved engine failure during runway acceleration.