Amazon Air Boeing 767 overruns Miami runway, injuring multiple people

An Amazon-branded cargo jet ran past the end of a runway while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, colliding with vehicles and leaving multiple people injured, according to The Verge.

What happened

The aircraft was a Boeing 767-300 freighter flying as 21 Air Flight 7598, and it departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In a statement cited by The Verge, the Federal Aviation Administration said the jet overran the runway after landing at around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, September 6.

The Verge reported that the plane hit vehicles after leaving the runway, and that both the extent of the damage and the seriousness of the injuries were unclear at the time of publication. Neither the FAA nor Amazon has publicly said what caused the excursion.

Fire and emergency response

The aftermath grounded flights at Miami International Airport, and more than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units were dispatched to the scene. According to reports cited by The Verge, the aircraft was on fire and giving off heavy smoke by the time rescue crews arrived.

Video posted by NBC 6, which The Verge says clearly shows the Amazon logo on the plane's tail, captures thick smoke rising from where the aircraft came to a stop — on the far side of a road from the airport grounds. The aircraft was, however, flown by 21 Air, meaning Amazon's cargo brand was operated here by a third-party carrier rather than the company itself.

Amazon's response

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel confirmed the incident to The Verge, saying that an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air had experienced an incident while attempting to land at Miami International Airport. She described the situation as fast-moving, said Amazon was still gathering details and working closely with local authorities to understand exactly what happened, and added that the company's priority was the safety, well-being and care of everyone involved, including support for those affected.

Why it matters

Air freight is a core piece of Amazon's logistics operation, and the company's livery makes any accident involving its fleet unusually visible. This incident comes with significant open questions: how many people were hurt and how badly, what condition the aircraft is in, and why a 767 on a routine cargo run from San Juan could not stop within the runway at a major international hub.

The immediate knock-on effect was operational — flights at Miami International were grounded while dozens of fire and rescue units responded — which illustrates how a single landing accident can disrupt schedules across a large airport network. For Amazon, the reputational question is different from the operational one: the plane carried its name, but the flying was done by a contractor, and how the company handles the aftermath, and whatever investigation follows, will reflect on the brand regardless of who was at the controls.