Five people were killed last weekend when a cargo flight operated by 21 Air for Amazon Air overran a runway while landing at Miami International Airport, striking multiple vehicles on the ground, officials said.
Amazon said on Sunday it was pausing operations with the Miami-based carrier, which operated the aircraft that crashed. “After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to Reuters. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.”
The aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter that had operated as a passenger jet for various airlines from 1994 to 2015, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking service.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash, said last week the pilots considered aborting the landing after the aircraft touched down, citing evidence from a flight data recorder. One pilot cautioned that they were flying “too fast” just over a minute before touching down on the runway they overran.
The cargo plane was on its third flight of the day, coming from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It had flown from Cincinnati to Miami and from Miami to San Juan earlier before the crash.
“We remain focused on supporting the families and loved ones who were impacted by this accident, as well as working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues. We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training,” 21 Air said in a statement to Reuters.