The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced plans to speak with the two pilots who survived the recent Amazon cargo jet crash in Miami. According to the NTSB, data retrieved from the cockpit voice recorder has been acquired, but it will not be disclosed at this time.
During a briefing on Tuesday evening, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy stated, “The cockpit voice recorder contained more than two hours of good quality audio. We’re interviewing the pilots tomorrow, and we want to hear their account of the accident before we release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder.”
NTSB investigator Chihoon Shin, speaking at the same briefing, revealed that 30 seconds prior to the end of the flight data recording, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear made contact, while 19 seconds before the conclusion, the left main landing gear touched down.
Shortly after, Shin noted that the brakes were released, and the throttles were increased to values consistent with go-around thrust, with no evidence in the recorded data indicating the deployment of speed brakes or thrust reversers.
The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of five individuals on the ground when the jet overshot the runway during landing, colliding with a van, breaking through a fence, and striking an SUV on a city street. The van’s occupants, all employees of Professional Ocean Service Corp., a plane cleaning company, lost their lives in the crash.
Names of the deceased have been identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47, as confirmed by the Miami-Dade sheriff. Additionally, five individuals sustained injuries, with two in critical condition and one in stable condition.
The jet, a 32-year-old Boeing 767, had been operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier based in North Carolina. It had flown for numerous airlines worldwide before being converted into a cargo plane in 2015. Investigations are ongoing, with two runways at Miami International Airport remaining closed as NTSB officials continue to gather crucial information from the crash site.
