Updated September 7, 2026 at 10:54 PM EDT
The people who died when an Amazon cargo plane went off the runway at the Miami International Airport on Sunday were all passengers of vehicles on the ground, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB said Monday that five people were killed and five others were injured in the crash.
The plane first hit a van belonging to a cleaning company used by the airlines, said NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy. She described the van as being "torn apart."
The Boeing 767 continued on, mowing down a fence, and crossing a public road where it hit an SUV. The plane stopped just before hitting parked cars.
Homendy did not share an update on the pilot and co-pilot, but video posted by the local NBC station showed a pilot jumping from the plane, shortly after the crash. The NTSB says it plans to interview them soon.
Homendy said she visited the crash scene and that it was "utter devastation."
"You can see the surrounding airbags, you can see the components from vehicles, both passenger vehicles and the aircraft itself," she said. "It's pretty extensive."
Homendy said a fuel leak has slowed initial recovery efforts, but added the NTSB would work to return the remains of the victims to their families as soon as it was safe to do so.
NTSB investigators said they were looking into all factors, from potential mechanical failure to environmental variables or flight crew performance. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered.
Videos posted on social media of the touchdown show the cargo plane landing hard and fast midway down the runway. There were also thunderstorms and winds in the area at the time, but the NTSB said it was too early to tell if weather played a role in the crash.
The aircraft, operated by 21 Air, was contracted to carry cargo for Amazon. Flight 7598 originally took off from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The NTSB said it was the plane's third flight of the day.
The Miami International Airport is not equipped with the emergency stopping system, known as EMAS. "Engineered Material Arresting Systems" are designed to slow and stop an aircraft before it exits the end of the runway and the FAA says that they have played a role in safely stopping aircraft in runway overruns. EMAS systems are made of lightweight, crushable materials that force a plane to slow down, somewhat akin to sinking in mud.
Homendy mentioned that 69 U.S. airports do have the stopping systems but the Federal Aviation Administration does not require it if the runway is longer than 1000 feet, which is the case for Miami.
The FAA credits EMAS with slowing and stopping flights carrying nearly 500 crew and passengers.
As of Monday evening, two of the four runways remain closed. Officials say they won't reopen until the investigation is concluded.
"Cancellations continue due to aircraft and flight crews not having arrived," the airport said in a notice on its website. "Passengers with flights scheduled today should check directly with their airline for flight status updates before heading to the airport."
Hundreds of flights into and out of Miami International Airport have been delayed or cancelled as of Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware.com.
The NTSB said it will hold another briefing on the investigation into the crash on Tuesday.
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