At least five people were killed and five others injured on the afternoon of September 6 when an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway while landing at Miami International Airport.
The Boeing 767-300 struck several vehicles and caught fire, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the air.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah said during a news conference later that day that three of the injured victims were in critical condition and had been transported to a trauma center. Two others were taken to a local hospital. Several people were trapped inside the vehicles hit by the aircraft and had to be rescued.
The plane had been traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and landed in Miami at around 2 pm local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It remains unclear why the aircraft could not stop. Data from the tracking service Flightradar24 showed that it was traveling at nearly 130 miles (209 km) per hour when it passed beyond the usable portion of the runway.
A review of air traffic control recordings found that the pilots did not declare an emergency before landing.
This tragic event is nonetheless a rarity. Indeed, did you know that the worst crashes in American history (aside from terrorist attacks) happened, for the most part, over 20 years ago? Read on to learn more about the worst airplane crashes in the United States.