Amazon promises full cooperation in cargo plane crash
Amazon is publicly pledging to support official efforts to investigate a fatal accident that occurred with an Amazon Air cargo plane on Sunday, Sept. 6 in Miami.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said an Amazon Air cargo plane operated by contractor 21 Air LLC which crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, Sept. 5 around 2 p.m. ET overshot its assigned runway by roughly 1,300 feet, according to CNBC.
The aircraft, which had been flying to Miami from San Juan, Puerto Rico, reportedly hit vehicles inside and outside the boundaries of the airport and the accident killed at least five people and injured another five people.
In a statement posted on the official Amazon news page at 10:25 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 8, spokesperson Kelly Nantel said Amazon will cooperate with authorities.
"Our deepest sympathies remain with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating tragedy,” Nantel said in the statement. “The NTSB is on the ground at Miami International Airport conducting their investigation. We’ll fully cooperate with them and support any other investigating authorities, and we’ll also continue to coordinate with 21 Air, which operated the flight. Amazon leaders are also meeting with local officials, first responders, and others in the community to offer our support."
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.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, was reported by CNBC as saying that investigators have recovered the plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder and will be on the scene of the crash for at least a week but will not release a probable cause while they are there.
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.”
“Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available,” Winters said in the message. 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.
CNBC also quoted remarks from Homendy indicating the NTSB will examine the specifics of the arrangement between Amazon and 21 Air.
“This is an Amazon operation for transporting cargo, but it’s actually contracted to 21 Air,” Homendy said in the comments reported by CNBC. “We’re going to want to see what that relationship is, who does what, what safety provisions might be in any sort of contracts or any sort of policies.”
This is a developing story and Chain Store Age will provide continuing coverage.
