MIAMI (AP) — Federal investigators examining why an Amazon cargo plane skidded off the runway at Miami International Airport and crashed into vehicles, killing at least five people, are likely to focus on a crucial moment in the landing: whether the plane touched down too late to stop safely. Video of Sunday’s landing appears to show the Boeing 767 hovering over the runway before landing. Aviation experts said investigators will seek to determine exactly where the plane landed and, if it was beyond the normal landing zone, why the pilots did not abandon the landing and return for another attempt. Investigators will also examine the plane’s speed and braking, weather and wind conditions, the mechanical condition of the plane and other factors that could have contributed to the deadly advance. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy to Miami, where she is expected to give the agency’s first report on the investigation on Monday. The plane overran the runway around 2 p.m. Sunday after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and crossed a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses surrounding the airport. Five people died, three were seriously injured and two others were hospitalized with less serious injuries, authorities said. The crash, which sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky, trapped the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit and some occupants in the cars, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said. The agency said crews also had to extricate a person who was trapped under a vehicle. It was not immediately clear if the pilots were among the dead. The typical landing zone for a plane is within the first 3,000 feet (914 meters) of a runway, experts said. If the cargo plane was beyond that area, it should have aborted the landing and turned around for another attempt, said aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo. Mary Schiavo, a pilot and former Department of Transportation inspector general, said a video posted online shows the Amazon plane hovering over the runway for an extended period without lifting the nose to force the main landing gear to the ground. It was not raining at the time, but dark storm clouds were gathering and strong winds were reported. Schiavo said if the plane had a tailwind, that could have contributed to it floating lower on the runway. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. “A tailwind would certainly compound your problems if you have already abandoned a good portion of the runway by not landing and landing immediately,” Schiavo said. The Miami airport is not equipped with arresting systems that the FAA says have been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide to safely stop planes passing the end of a runway. The FAA has credited those beds of lightweight, crushable material at the end of a runway with helping save at least 497 lives aboard planes that overran runways. The crash halted flights at the busy travel hub for much of the afternoon. About 200 emergency personnel responded and found the plane with heavy flames and smoke coming from a complex engine compartment fire, the department said. Firefighters used foam from specialized airport firefighting units to extinguish the fire, and hours later crews were still dealing with a fuel leak on the plane. The Prime Air plane stopped next to a road near two trucks, the footage showed. The plane appeared to be resting on its belly and was virtually intact despite the fire. The flight had been operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo airline. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24. Schiavo said the NTSB will also closely examine the maintenance history of this plane, particularly because it has a history of foreign ownership, including by a Russian company. More than 160 flights were canceled and nearly 325 delayed Sunday night, according to FlightAware. a website that tracks flight disruptions. Officials at Orlando International Airport, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Miami, said some flights were diverted there. Amazon said in a statement that it would cooperate with any investigation. “We are heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families, loved ones and everyone affected by this devastating loss.” Last year, a UPS plane crashed after losing its engine while accelerating on the runway at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The crash killed all three pilots and 12 people on the ground. Twenty-three more were injured.___Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writers Tim Reynolds in Miami, Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Wufei Yu in Phoenix contributed.
