A cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport, struck multiple vehicles, and caught fire, leaving five people dead and five others injured.
Firefighters faced flames, trapped victims, and leaking fuel as residents near the airport felt their homes shake and watched emergency vehicles converge on the scene.
The Amazon Air cargo plane is seen disabled beyond the runway after Flight 7598 overran it while landing at Miami International Airport. The aircraft had arrived from San Juan before the crash triggered a major emergency response. | Source: Getty Images
At least five people died after an Amazon Air cargo plane overran a runway while landing at Miami International Airport (MIA) on Sunday, September 6, 2026, before striking several vehicles.
Five other people were injured. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah said three were critically injured and taken to a trauma center. Two others were transported to a local hospital, according to CNN.
The damaged Prime Air aircraft came to rest beyond Miami International Airport’s operational boundary after overrunning the runway. The crash sparked a fire and brought more than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units to the scene. | Source: Getty Images
Some victims became trapped inside vehicles hit by the aircraft and required rescue crews to free them, Jadallah said. Authorities had not publicly identified those killed or injured, ABC News reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified the plane as 21 Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft. The flight originated at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and went beyond the runway after landing in Miami at about 2 p.m.
21Air operated the aircraft on behalf of Amazon Air. CNN reported that the plane was part of a network of more than 250 aircraft Amazon uses each day to transport customer shipments.
Damaged vehicles show the impact of the cargo plane’s path after it continued beyond the runway. Officials confirmed five deaths after the aircraft struck multiple vehicles during the crash. | Source: Getty Images
Amazon Air’s fleet includes more than 100 cargo planes, among them Boeing 737s and 767s and Airbus A330s. The aircraft transports a wide range of shipments, including general merchandise, packages, flowers, dry ice, temperature-sensitive medicines, fish, and fruit.
What Crews Found Beyond the Airport Boundary
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received reports at 1:55 p.m. of a hazardous situation involving a cargo plane that had struck multiple vehicles near the airport.
More than 60 units and approximately 200 personnel responded, the department said. They found the aircraft beyond the airport’s operational boundary, with heavy flames and smoke visible.
Firefighters encountered what the department described as a complex engine compartment fire. Specialized airport firefighting units used foam to extinguish the flames while other crews searched for victims.
Damage is visible beneath the cargo aircraft after it traveled beyond the airport boundary. Firefighters encountered a complex engine compartment fire, while hazardous materials crews worked to mitigate a fuel leak. | Source: Getty Images
One person was trapped beneath a vehicle and had to be freed by specialized technical rescue personnel. Hazardous materials crews also shut down the aircraft’s engine and worked to contain a fuel leak.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported five patients to local hospitals. By the department’s 6:25 p.m. update, crews had shifted into a supporting role while continuing to assist other agencies and mitigate the fuel leak.
Officials said there was no wider public safety concern for the Miami-Dade community, but asked people to avoid the area while emergency work continued.
The First Signs of the Crash Reached Nearby Homes
The impact was strong enough to shake a home in a nearby neighborhood. Jose Sanchez, who lives along Northwest 38th Terrace, initially thought he had heard an explosion or a truck crash.
Emergency vehicles filled the area around the crash site as crews searched for patients and secured the scene. Approximately 200 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel responded after the aircraft overran the runway. | Source: Getty Images
“An explosion or truck, maybe, exploded or something like that,” Sanchez told CBS News Miami. “But for the house to shake – it wasn’t normal.”
When Sanchez stepped outside, he began to smell smoke even though he could not see it rising from the crash site. “Then I started to smell some smoke,” Sanchez said. “As I stepped outside, it got stronger.”
His home was not damaged, but he said the deaths made the crash’s proximity difficult to process. “Just the fact that it happened so close,” Sanchez said. “I feel very bad for the people, the victims and their families.”
Investigators examine debris and damage along the aircraft’s path beyond the airport grounds. Federal investigators have not yet determined why Flight 7598 was unable to stop after landing. | Source: Getty Images
Other residents described a sudden surge of emergency activity around MIA. “I looked and saw the tail and there was a lot of emergency vehicles headed in this direction. It’s crazy,” one resident told CNN.
Another resident noticed that the normal flow of aircraft overhead had abruptly stopped. “We live right where flights come in, in the pattern, and all of a sudden no flights and then we saw a ground stop,” the resident told 7News Miami.
A family member of another person hospitalized at Ryder Trauma Center said their loved one was doing okay. Officials also established a Missing Family Hotline at 305-471-2400 for people trying to locate relatives.
eople stopped along a roadway to look toward the crash scene as the emergency unfolded near Miami International Airport. The incident disrupted airport operations, with runways and taxiways temporarily closed and a full ground stop put into effect. | Source: Getty Images
One Question Remained After Flight 7598 Left the Runway
The crash disrupted operations at MIA while emergency crews worked near the runway.
On X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said officials issued a full ground stop as first responders assessed the scene. He warned travelers to expect significant delays and possible cancellations.
Duffy also said the Federal Aviation Administration would send inspectors to investigate.
The agency‘s initial account established the flight’s route and the basic sequence before the crash. Flight 7598 had departed San Juan and overran the runway after landing in Miami, the FAA said.
MIA also confirmed that the shutdown extended across its airfield. The airport said all runways and taxiways were closed and that a full ground stop was in effect.
Passengers with flights scheduled that day were advised to check directly with their airlines for flight status updates before heading to the airport.
On the other hand, the NTSB separately said it was gathering information about the incident and would provide updates as additional information became available.
It remains unclear why the aircraft was unable to stop. The plane was traveling nearly 130 mph when it left the usable portion of the runway, according to Flightradar24 data cited by CNN.
The same outlet also reviewed air traffic control audio from before the landing and found that the pilots did not declare an emergency. Neither detail establishes what caused the aircraft to overrun the runway.
With the cause still undetermined, aviation expert William Shepard pointed to several factors investigators may examine. He first emphasized the significance of an aircraft traveling beyond the airport property.
“Obviously, you never want this to transpire, and you certainly don’t want an aircraft to have this kind of trouble, but certainly not to breach the perimeter of the airport property, and to go off the runway,” Shepard said in a CBS Miami interview.
Weather could be among the factors investigators consider.
The tail section of the Amazon Air cargo plane is visible after the aircraft overran the runway at Miami International Airport. Investigators are examining why Flight 7598 continued beyond the airport’s operational boundary after landing. | Source: Getty Images
Shepard noted that serious thunderstorms had moved through South Florida that Sunday afternoon. “We don’t know if there was heavy rain at that particular point,” Shepard told CBS News Miami. “That’ll be one of the things that the NTSB is looking at.
Such conditions can affect how much distance an aircraft needs to stop. “When that type of thing happens, it obviously increases the landing distance,” Shepard said, adding that it “puts a lot of other factors into play.”
Shepard also pointed to the aircraft’s landing gear as a potential area of examination.
“From the video you have shown us, what we’ve seen is that this aircraft came to rest without the front landing gear, the nose landing gear, as we call it, in place,” Shepard said.
The Radio Warning Crews Heard Before Reaching the Scene
Before investigators could begin answering those questions, first responders had a more immediate problem. Dispatch audio captured a brief warning as crews moved toward the burning aircraft.
“Guys, the plane’s on fire. Plane’s on fire. Put your game faces on,” a first responder said in audio obtained by Broadcastify. Another portion of the recording referred to “one patient” following the crash, according to TMZ.
What Amazon Said as the Human Toll Became Clear
Amazon initially confirmed on X that the aircraft was operating for Amazon Air and was operated by 21Air. Spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the incident occurred as the plane was attempting to land at the Miami airport.
The representative described the situation as fast-moving and said the company was still gathering information.
She also said that Amazon was working with local authorities and officials to understand what had happened. The company’s immediate priority was the “safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved.”
Nantel said the aircraft had been attempting to land when the incident occurred and that Amazon would cooperate fully with the investigation.
She also said that Amazon was heartbroken by the loss of life. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss,” she added.
In a separate social media post, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava initially said officials were closely monitoring the situation as Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and airport teams responded.
In a later update, she said she was at MIA receiving a briefing from the FAA as response and investigation efforts continued. Local teams remained in close coordination with federal partners, she said.
The photo showed Cava speaking with officials during a briefing near Miami International Airport. Several people are gathered around her, including a man holding a communication device.
21Air CEO Keith Winters also addressed the crash in a separate statement. “We are devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami today,” Winters said.
He said the company’s priorities were supporting those affected, assisting authorities, and providing accurate information as it became available. 21Air was cooperating with the NTSB, the FAA, and local authorities, Winters said. “The circumstances of the accident are under investigation,” he said.
