Amazon Halts Partnership with 21 Air Following Fatal Cargo Plane Incident
In a shocking turn of events, Amazon has announced the suspension of its relationship with 21 Air, a cargo operator, following a tragic accident involving one of its planes at Miami International Airport. The incident resulted in the loss of five lives, prompting a thorough investigation.
On September 6, a Boeing 767, operating under 21 Air and loaded with Amazon packages, overshot the runway by approximately 1,300 feet (396 meters). The plane collided with a van carrying workers from a nearby plane cleaning service, leading to the fatal outcome. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated, “After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598.”
21 Air, based in North Carolina, had been in partnership with Amazon since 2024. However, the company has not yet commented on Amazon’s decision to halt their collaboration. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is set to examine various factors, including the plane’s ownership, weather conditions at the time of the incident, as well as 21 Air’s operational and maintenance records.
The NTSB released flight details on September 9, highlighting that one of the pilots had warned of excessive landing speed during the approach and after touchdown. Cockpit audio captured automated alerts regarding the plane’s descent speed and proximity to the ground. A full transcript from the cockpit recordings is expected as the investigation progresses.
The Boeing aircraft, aged 32 years, originally served as a passenger jet for several international airlines before being converted into a cargo plane in 2015, as detailed by flight-tracking platform Flightradar24.
For more updates on this incident, visit the full story.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
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