Amazon pauses operations with air cargo carrier following crash
In the wake of a recent fatal accident involving a contracted Amazon Air cargo plane, Amazon is halting work with the company operating the plane.
Amazon is temporarily ceasing business with contractor 21 Air LLC, which had been operating an Amazon Air cargo plane that crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, Sept. 5.
[READ MORE: Amazon promises full cooperation in cargo plane crash]
In a brief statement on its corporate blog, the online retailer said safety has always been its top priority, whether working on its own or with partners.
“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Kelly Nantel, Amazon spokesperson, said in the Sept. 14 blog post. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.”
The aircraft, which had been flying to Miami from San Juan, Puerto Rico, hit vehicles inside and outside the boundaries of the airport and the accident killed at least five people and injured another five people after overshooting the runway by about 1,300 feet, according to CNBC.
The plane struck a van owned by airline cleaning company Professional Ocean Service Corp. before breaking through a perimeter fence and colliding with a Toyota passenger vehicle. All reported fatalities involved passengers in those two cars.
The plane was operated by contractor 21 Air LLC, which is a separate entity from Amazon and operates all-cargo flights in the U.S. for companies such as Amazon and DHL.
On the company’s website, a message from 21 Air CEO Keith Winters said it is “cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities.” 21 Air LLC has established a toll-free family assistance line to provide information directly to families of crew members and personnel involved in the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that investigators had recovered the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder and would be on the scene of the Sept. 5 crash for at least a week but would not release a probable cause while they were there, according to CNBC.
This is a developing story and Chain Store Age will provide continuing coverage.
