Federal Investigators Reveal Pilots Attempted Late Aborted Landing in Fatal Miami Cargo Plane Crash

Federal safety investigators reported that the flight crew of an Amazon Prime Air cargo aircraft appeared to attempt an aborted landing moments after touching down on the runway at Miami International Airport, shortly before a catastrophic overrun that claimed five lives.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Tuesday that newly extracted information from the aircraft's flight data recorder points to a critical sequence of throttle adjustments and braking actions in the final seconds of the ill-fated flight. The accident resulted in five fatalities and left five other individuals injured when the wide-body cargo jet careened beyond the runway boundary.

The accident involved a 32-year-old Boeing 767 freighter operated by Miami-based cargo carrier 21 Air. Upon landing on Sunday afternoon, the aircraft traveled approximately 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the designated end of the runway pavement before colliding into two ground vehicles, according to investigative findings.

According to technical telemetry recovered by the NTSB, the landing sequence unfolded rapidly across a 30-second window preceding the conclusion of the data record. Exactly 30 seconds prior to the end of the recording, the airplane's nose landing gear along with its right main landing gear touched down on the runway surface while traveling at an indicated airspeed of 158 knots, or roughly 181 miles per hour.

The data further revealed an unusual touchdown progression across the aircraft's landing gear assemblies. It was not until 11 seconds later—19 seconds before the data ended—that the left main landing gear finally established contact with the runway pavement, at which point the jet was traveling at 134 knots.

Moments after all gear assemblies touched down, the cockpit crew initiated actions consistent with attempting to get the aircraft airborne again. The recorded data showed that the wheel brakes were released and the engine throttles were pushed forward to power settings that align with standard go-around thrust, indicating a late effort to abandon the rollout.

However, that attempt to take off again was swiftly abandoned within seconds. The flight recorder documented that 11 seconds prior to the end of the recording, the throttles were abruptly pulled back to idle power and braking was forcefully reapplied in an effort to bring the freighter to a stop.

By the time the recording concluded, the Boeing 767 had decelerated to a ground speed of 65 knots as it exited the paved surface and struck the ground vehicles.

In addition to the throttle fluctuations, investigators identified a notable absence of standard aerodynamic stopping aids during the landing rollout. The NTSB confirmed that the flight data recorder showed no evidence that the aircraft's speed brakes were deployed, nor was there any indication that the engine thrust reversers were activated to assist in slowing down the plane.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy is actively leading an on-site team of 32 specialized investigators in Miami to determine the sequence of events and factors that led to the fatal overrun. Homendy stated that agency investigators are scheduled to conduct formal interviews with both flight crew members on Wednesday.

Following those direct pilot interviews, the safety board plans to publicize initial findings and transcripts gathered from the cockpit voice recorder, which is expected to provide further clarity regarding the crew's cockpit communication, decision-making, and procedural choices during the landing.

The investigative agency also detailed the flight experience and licensing history of both crew members operating the flight. The 55-year-old captain had accumulated a total of 7,145 flight hours during his aviation career and had earned his type rating for the Boeing 767 aircraft model earlier this year in May.

The first officer, aged 37, possessed 2,655 total flight hours and had obtained his type rating on the Boeing 767 in April 2025. Both pilots survived the overrun and are expected to provide critical eyewitness testimony regarding the cockpit environment and mechanical responses during the landing attempt.

Investigators noted that Sunday's fatal flight marked the aircraft's third operational leg of a demanding daily schedule. The Boeing 767 had originated its operations on Sunday by flying from Cincinnati to Miami, followed by a scheduled flight from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before departing San Juan on its return leg to Miami, where it crashed at 1:53 p.m. EDT (1753 GMT).

The deadly crash prompted significant logistical disruptions across Miami International Airport, resulting in the immediate closure of two runways while emergency personnel and accident investigators secured the scene. Chair Homendy noted that authorities were able to reopen one of the closed runways late on Tuesday evening to accommodate aircraft departures toward the east.

As the multi-disciplinary federal investigation continues, the NTSB's examination will focus heavily on human factors, operational performance, aerodynamic deceleration systems, and the underlying circumstances that led the crew to initiate and subsequently abort a go-around maneuver after touchdown.