NTSB Preliminary Report: Amazon Air 767 Overran Miami Runway; Crew Unaware of Tailwind, Speed Brakes Never Used
This is a textbook case study in unstable-approach and crew-resource-management breakdown: a high, fast threshold crossing, failure to deploy speed brakes and thrust reversers, a late go-around call, and a controller who did not relay the wind as required. Every pilot, especially those in cargo and high-tempo operations, should review unstable-approach criteria, the value of a timely go-around, and why tailwind information must be sought and challenged regardless of what is transmitted. The investigation is preliminary and no probable cause has been determined.
The NTSB published a preliminary report (DCA26MA352) on the September 6, 2026 crash of 21 Air flight 7598, a Boeing 767-33A (N1997A) operating as a cargo flight for Amazon.com Services LLC, that overran runway 30 at Miami International Airport (MIA). Five people on the ground were killed and three seriously injured; the two pilots sustained minor injuries.
The report and black-box data show the aircraft crossed the runway 30 threshold about 105 feet above ground at more than 200 mph and touched down roughly 3,750 feet past the start of pavement at about 185 mph, leaving only a fraction of the 9,360-foot runway to stop. During the landing roll, the speed brakes remained stowed and the thrust reversers did not deploy. The pilot flying applied wheel brakes, then released them and called for a go-around with about 930 feet of runway remaining, then braked again with about 415 feet remaining. The airplane departed the paved surface at about 113 knots and struck airport equipment, a Ford Econoline van (where five people were killed) and a Toyota Corolla Cross before coming to rest about 1,200 feet beyond the pavement and catching fire.
The NTSB also said the local controller cleared the flight to land but did not issue wind information, even though FAA Order JO 7110.65 requires wind direction and velocity when a runway is used with a tailwind component. About four minutes earlier the same controller had told another aircraft the winds were from 190 degrees; airport weather near the time of the crash showed winds from 190 degrees at about 17 knots gusting to 26 knots. On the flight deck, the first officer repeatedly warned the captain the aircraft was coming in too fast, and the NTSB noted there was "not a consistent verbal response" from the captain to those warnings. Amazon has paused its use of 21 Air pending the investigation.