Data from the National Transportation Safety Board shows the speed brakes and thrust reversers on an Amazon cargo jet did not deploy when the plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday and struck two vehicles, killing five people, the agency said Tuesday.
While the wheel brakes were applied, “there was no indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed,” Chihoon Shin, the NTSB investigator in charge, said.
Shin said investigators plan to interview the pilots and are not yet speculating about what should have happened during the landing. “When we analyze the full list of parameters, we’ll have a better idea of the aircraft’s performance during this landing,” he said. “Was it normal? Was it not? And what was working and what was not. So I’m not going to speculate on what should have been right now.”
While officials did not identify the pilots by name, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the captain was 55 and held 7,145 flight hours, based on a Class 1 medical certificate dated March 31, 2026. The first officer was 37 and had 2,655 flight hours, according to a Class 1 medical certificate dated April 13, 2026, she said.
Homendy said investigators confirmed there were no hazardous materials on board and that most of the cargo consisted of contact lenses weighing 32,222 pounds, plus a flight kit. At least five people were killed and five were injured, officials said. Seven of the victims were in a van that was crushed on airport property. The plane traveled through the airport fence and struck another vehicle before stopping near a parking lot, officials said.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
