Amazon Suspends 21 Air After Fatal Miami Runway Crash

Amazon.com Inc. suspended its partnership with cargo carrier 21 Air LLC on Sunday following a fatal accident at Miami International Airport on September 6. Flight 7598, a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, overran Runway 30 by approximately 1,300 feet and struck a van carrying plane cleaning staff. The collision killed five people in the vehicle and injured five others, including the two pilots.

Preliminary data from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates the aircraft touched down with excessive speed. Cockpit voice recordings reveal that while one pilot cautioned about the speed and later called for a go-around, the crew failed to deploy speed brakes or thrust reversers. Investigators are currently reviewing maintenance logs, pilot actions, and the impact of stormy weather during the approach.

In the wake of the crash, the sons of victim Julio C. Pineda filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Miami-Dade County. The suit alleges that 21 Air and its parent companies, Avia Acquisition and Avia Investments, ignored known safety deficiencies in training and maintenance. Amazon is also named as a defendant for its alleged failure to provide adequate safety oversight. Other named defendants include aircraft suppliers and the flight crew.

While 21 Air has stated it remains confident in its safety policies, the aircraft remains at the crash site, causing ongoing runway restrictions and flight delays at the airport. Another client of the carrier, DHL, has not yet announced if it will continue its relationship with the airline.