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Amazon halts flights with 21 Air after deadly Miami airport crash

Amazon has paused its partnership with North Carolina-based 21 Air while investigators examine a cargo plane’s deadly runway overrun at Miami International Airport. Five people died and five others were injured when the jet struck a vehicle near the runway.

Amazon halts flights with 21 Air after deadly Miami airport crash
Amazon has suspended operations with 21 Air, the cargo carrier that operated a Prime Air flight involved in a deadly crash at Miami International Airport, the company said Sunday. The Boeing 767 overran the runway while landing Sept. 6 after departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft traveled about 1,300 feet beyond the runway’s end before striking a van carrying workers for an aircraft-cleaning company and catching fire. All five people killed were inside the van, and five others were injured. “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. She added that Amazon would continue supporting the investigation and those affected. 21 Air, which is based in North Carolina, had carried Amazon packages since 2024. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suspension. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to examine the plane’s ownership history, the weather at the airport, maintenance records and 21 Air’s operations. Information released by the NTSB Sept. 9 indicated that one pilot warned the other that the aircraft was approaching too quickly, both before landing and after touchdown. Automated cockpit warnings also flagged the aircraft’s descent rate and nearby terrain. The aircraft was 32 years old. It was originally built as a passenger plane, operated for several airlines overseas for more than two decades and was converted for cargo service in 2015, according to flight-tracking data cited in the investigation. Amazon’s decision puts renewed attention on the contracting arrangements that connect major delivery companies with smaller air carriers. While Amazon markets the service under its Prime Air brand, the aircraft and flight were operated by 21 Air, leaving investigators and the public to assess how responsibility for safety oversight was divided among the companies and regulators.

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