The «black boxes» of the cargo aircraft that ran off the runway at Miami International Airport and struck vehicles, leaving five people dead and five others injured on Sunday, have been recovered.
The announcement was made on Monday by Jennifer Homendy, chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The victims were travelling in a van carrying seven employees of a cleaning company that has contracts with airlines, as well as in an SUV. The two vehicles were struck in succession by the Boeing 767-300 leased by Amazon, Homendy said during a press conference at Miami airport.
According to Homendy, the aircraft breached a fence and collided with an SUV on a road before continuing on its path and reaching a second fence, behind which Tesla robotaxis were parked.
The aircraft came to a stop «approximately 400 metres» from the runway surface. Describing the crash site, the NTSB chair called it «absolute devastation» and said there was «debris everywhere».
«We were able to recover the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. They will be sent tonight, in a few hours, to NTSB headquarters, where they will be examined and the data they contain can be recovered tomorrow», Jennifer Homendy said.
Asked about the aircraft’s speed during landing, the official said investigators had «data, but from various sources». She added that they wanted to confirm the information by examining the recorders, expressing hope that she would be able to provide more details on Tuesday.
Homendy also said investigators would take statements from the aircraft’s crew and would speak with the crews of two other aircraft that were nearby when the crash occurred.
It was the aircraft’s third flight of the same day. It had initially departed Cincinnati for Miami, then flew from Miami to San Juan in Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, before departing San Juan for its return flight to Miami.
«Our sole objective, as a safety agency, is this: safety, saving lives. And that means our recommendations must be implemented, otherwise we will find ourselves in the same situation again», Homendy stressed.
Firefighters had to free the captain and co-pilot, who were trapped in the cockpit, as the aircraft’s engines had caught fire, a Fire Service official said on Sunday.
The flight was operated by the specialised company 21 Air, which manages aircraft on behalf of Amazon.
The crash continued to disrupt operations at Miami International Airport on Monday. According to specialist website FlightAware, nearly 90 flights to and from the airport were cancelled, while around 400 departures and arrivals were delayed.
Source: CNA