NTSB: Amazon plane hit MIA cleaning contractor van filled with 7 people

The Amazon cargo plane that overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday struck a van owned by an airport cleaning contractor that had seven people inside, the National Transportation Safety Board’s chairwoman said Monday.

Read more Cargo plane that crashed in Miami was operated by a North Carolina company

The 2012 white Ford Ecoline van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corporation, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said at a press conference that started a little after 4 p.m. The Boeing 767-33A operated by Miami-based 21 Air also hit a Toyota Corolla.

Five people were killed and five more were injured in the crash Sunday, which happened just before 2 p.m. on Runway 30.

All of the people who died were in the van and the Toyota, according to the NTSB.

Professional Ocean Service Corporation did not answer a phone call from the Miami Herald on Monday afternoon, and its voicemail box was full.

Homendy said the plane went 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface, striking the van, then the Toyota on Northwest 67th Avenue, and went through another fence before coming to a stop in a lot filled with Tesla robotaxis.

Investigators were able to recover the flight recorder, she said. The NTSB expects to be in Miami for the next week collecting evidence but will not be determining a probable cause for the plane crash during that time.

Asked to describe the scene Sunday, Homendy said she “would describe it as devastation. Utter devastation. The Econoline van was torn apart.”

The NTSB plans to give another media briefing Tuesday.

Flight impacts

Flights out of Miami International Airport were slightly delayed, and flights into MIA remained extremely delayed Monday.

According to the FAA’s National Airspace System Status updates, the departure delay for flights out of MIA was “30 minutes (and decreasing)” as of 12:49 p.m. Monday, but flights into the Miami area were delayed an average of five hours and 17 minutes.

As of 1:22 p.m. Monday, FlightAware said there had been 293 flights delayed in or out of Miami and 79 flights canceled.

READ MORE: Five dead after an Amazon cargo plane veers off MIA runway and smashes into cars

Over at the cargo area Monday, the cargo plane remained where its tragically wayward journey ended.

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Though Amazon.com’s logo decorates the tail and both fuselage sides have “Prime Air,” the plane that skidded off Runway 30, across Northwest 67th Avenue, and into several cars and trucks is operated by 21 Air, a 12-year-old cargo airline based out of Miami and Greensboro, North Carolina.

After Sunday’s crash, 21 Air, which also handles cargo for DHL, took down its website in favor of a single statement from CEO Keith Winters:

“We are devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami today.

Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available.

“We are cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities. The circumstances of the accident are under investigation.”

Sunday afternoon, Amazon.com posted to its X account and Instagram stories a similar statement:

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones and all those affected by this devastating loss.”

The plane that crashed Sunday was 32 years old and had logged 109,800 hours, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Of Amazon Air’s fleet of about 104 aircraft, the company 21 Air accounts for eight of them, or about 8%, per Cirium.

While MIA has bet big on growing the number of ordinary and business tourists in recent years, it has also seen a boom in cargo transport. Cargo shipments at Miami International Airport jumped by 13.6% in 2025, setting a growth record for the sixth consecutive year, according to MIA data.

A report by Airports Council International pegs MIA as the fifth-busiest cargo airport in the world, and third in the Western Hemisphere.

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Miami Herald staff writer Vinod Sreeharsha contributed reporting.