Online retailer Amazon said on Sunday it would suspend use of cargo airline 21 Air after one of its Amazon-branded planes crashed upon landing in Miami this month, killing five people. Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel did not disclose specific factors but said the decision was made after the company reviewed some of the circumstances around the crash while supporting the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into its cause. “After last weekend’s tragic incident, we have spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we have decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of flight 7598,” Nantel said. Amazon has said it will use other carriers to transport shipments that would have been assigned to 21 Air. Its other airlines include Sun Country Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air Transport International, ABX Air, ASL Airlines and Cargojet. 21 Air, incorporated in North Carolina and specializing in cargo shipments to and from Mexico, said in a statement Sunday that it continues to focus on supporting those affected by the crash “as well as working closely with the NTSB and all of our partners, such as Amazon, as the investigation continues.” “We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training,” 21 Air said. In the hours after the crash, 21 Air CEO Keith Winters offered his condolences to the families of the dead and injured and his cooperation with investigators. Our deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” he said in a statement. “Our immediate priorities are to support those affected, assist authorities, and ensure accurate information is communicated as it becomes available.” Five people were killed and five injured when a 21 Air Boeing 767-300 overran a runway at Miami International Airport just before 2 p.m. ET on Sept. 6 while landing, according to officials. Amazon has said it will use other carriers to transport shipments that would have been assigned to 21 Air. Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images It crashed into two vehicles, including a van transporting airline cleaning service workers; authorities identified them as Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, 53; Quevedo, 47. Flight 7598 was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it overran runway 30 and crashed into two vehicles before stopping, said Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz. Data from the flight’s cockpit voice recorder (CVR) revealed that as one pilot attempted to land, the other repeatedly warned that the plane was going too fast, but there was no “consistent verbal response to comments about speed,” according to a summary. from CVR data released by the NTSB. The data suggested that the plane landed, and about 15 seconds later a pilot requested a go-around maneuver, a maneuver in which a plane aborts its landing by stopping and circling to try to land again, Chihoon Shin, said the plane’s flight data recorder showed that its thrust increased during landing in a way that was consistent with a go-around attempt. He said: “Speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed.” Airbrakes are active flaps that are commonly deployed to help a plane slow down, while thrust reversers are often used to help slow down a plane when landing. Shin said it was unclear why they had not been deployed. Amazon’s Nantel said: “We will continue to work to support the investigation and all those affected.”
