What happened when an Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami airport?
A Prime Air freighter overran a Miami runway, killed at least five, and shut the airport for hours.
An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, struck multiple vehicles, burst into flames, and forced the closure of all runways for much of the afternoon.
Miami-Dade County officials said at least five people died, three were critically injured, and two more were hospitalized with less severe injuries. The aircraft overran the runway around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Officials said Sunday it was too soon to say whether those who died were on the plane or in the vehicles it hit.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said the crash trapped the pilot and copilot in the cockpit, trapped some occupants in cars, and left another person trapped under a vehicle. Fire crews were still dealing with a fuel leak several hours later. The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway near two semi-trucks, on its belly and largely intact despite the fire.
The flight was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina cargo carrier. Flightradar24 identified the aircraft as a 32-year-old Boeing 767 built for passengers and converted to cargo in 2015. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending a team led by Chair Jennifer Homendy. Amazon said it was heartbroken and extended condolences to families and those affected.
A full runway shutdown at MIA is more than an aviation story. The airport is a major passenger and cargo gateway, so hours-long closures delay connecting families, holiday travelers, ramp and cargo workers, and South Florida logistics chains at once. That pressure hit a Labor Day weekend when travel was already busy. AAA has said flights to top domestic destinations are nearly 20% higher than last year, hotel rates have risen, and average U.S. regular gasoline is just under $4.10, up about 90 cents from a year earlier, with higher fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict. Standard FedEx and UPS pickup and delivery are unavailable on Labor Day except for some critical services, tightening the holiday window for parcels that would otherwise move around an airport disruption.
Much remains unknown and should stay framed that way. Cause of the overrun, the full runway timeline, and whether each fatality occurred on the aircraft or in struck vehicles were not established Sunday afternoon. Those answers, and any safety recommendations, depend on the NTSB team under Chair Jennifer Homendy, not early speculation. Until findings are released, the confirmed sequence is limited to an arriving 767 cargo flight, a runway overrun around 2 p.m., vehicle impacts and fire, multiple casualties, a prolonged fuel leak, a total runway closure, and an active federal investigation.