Federal regulators said the two crew members aboard the Amazon cargo jet that crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday survived the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided the update during a Sunday press conference after officials said the cargo plane overran the runway and caught fire while landing. The crash killed five people and injured five others, authorities said Sunday.
The jet collided with two vehicles carrying at least eight occupants, according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
Seven of the victims were in a van that was struck and “torn apart” on airport grounds, Homendy said. The 2012 white Ford Econoline van was owned by Ocean Service Corporation, a contract cleaning company that provides services for airlines, she said.
AMAZON CARGO PLANE OVERRUNS MIAMI AIRPORT RUNWAY AND STRIKES ‘MULTIPLE’ VEHICLES; 5 DEAD, 5 INJURED
The NTSB said the aircraft then crashed through the airport perimeter and struck a civilian vehicle, a Toyota Corolla Cross LE, that was traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue.
Homendy said investigators observed what appeared to be deployed airbags in the vehicles as they surveyed the crash site.
“You can see components from vehicles, both passenger vehicles and the aircraft itself,” Homendy said.
The jet then “continued into the grass and impacted another fence line, which separated an area where Tesla robotaxis were stationed,” Homendy said.
In total, the jet reportedly traveled 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface.
Homendy said the wreckage was “extensive,” noting that the crash damaged airport navigational aids and equipment, while fencing was ripped apart throughout the area.
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Officials said the Boeing 767 had completed two other flights before crashing in Miami, where its operator, 21 Air LLC, is based.
The aircraft traveled from Cincinnati to Miami, then from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before returning to Miami, Homendy said.
NTSB investigators have recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which they planned to examine.
Homendy described the crash site as “devastating,” saying wreckage was scattered throughout the area.
“I would describe it in one word, devastating, utter devastation,” she said.
“I mean, you can see on the paved surface, tire marks that continue through the grass. There’s debris everywhere.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates
