A summary of cockpit voice recordings released by the NTSB on Wednesday shows that, for nearly two minutes, one pilot repeatedly warned the other that the Boeing 767-300 was travelling too fast as it approached the runway and after touchdown. According to the NTSB, there was not 'a consistent verbal response' to the warnings. The landing speed was recorded at 158 knots (292 km/h), which experts have noted was on the high end.
The flight data also indicated an unsteady approach amid strong winds. After touching down, the pilots briefly disengaged the brakes and increased throttle, apparently attempting to abort the landing and go around, but abandoned the effort about four seconds later. The cockpit recording captured automated alerts including a 'sink rate' callout and a 'too low terrain' warning.
The crash occurred shortly before 14:00 local time on Sunday, September 6, when the Amazon Prime Air flight, operated by North Carolina-based 21 Air, overran the runway after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The plane struck navigational aids and a white Ford van carrying a cleaning crew, then crashed through a perimeter fence and collided with a Toyota Corolla before coming to rest about 1,300 feet (394 metres) beyond the runway. Five people were killed and five others seriously injured; three of those injured remain in critical condition, according to Miami Fire Chief Raied Jadallah.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described the crash scene as 'devastating' and said recovering victims' bodies remains the priority. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been sent to NTSB headquarters for evaluation. Homendy said investigators cannot yet draw conclusions about the cause, noting the agency is still in the 'fact finding stage'. Separate teams will examine the aircraft's systems and engines, while a meteorologist assesses weather conditions. Investigators will also consider whether the runway should have had an engineered materials arresting system (EMAS), which Homendy called a 'key' part of the investigation.
Former Federal Aviation Administration official Mike O'Donnell said the crew had options when the first speed warning was made, including taking measures to slow down or abandoning the landing. 'You have plenty of time to slow down, plenty of time to say "let's just do a go-around" at two minutes out,' O'Donnell said.
Separately, a lawsuit has been filed in Florida by Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, whose husband Yoel Rodrigues Naranjo was driving the van that was struck. The filing names Amazon, 21 Air, and the two pilots, and seeks at least $US50,000 in damages. The suit alleges the crash was not an unavoidable accident, stating, 'Each of these failures, standing alone, was sufficient to cause death. Together, they were catastrophic.'