Aviation Safety

Amazon pauses 21 Air operations after deadly Miami 767 runway overrun

Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 300 freighter
Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767-300 freighter. (Robin Guess / Shutterstock.com)

Amazon has paused its use of 21 Air, the cargo carrier that operated the Boeing 767 freighter that overran a runway at Miami International Airport (MIA) on September 6, 2026, killing five people on the ground. 

In a statement dated September 13, 2026, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company had spent the days since the accident supporting the investigation and reviewing what it called some of the surrounding circumstances and had decided to “pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598.” 

Amazon said the shipments involved would move to other carriers in its contracted network. 

NTSB data shows attempted go-around late in landing roll 

NTSB investigators examine the wreckage of 21 Air Flight 7598 after its runway overrun at Miami International Airport
NTSB investigators examine the wreckage of 21 Air Flight 7598 after its runway overrun at Miami International Airport. (Credit: NTSB)

Flight 7598 was a Part 121 cargo service from San Juan (SJU) to Miami. 

According to the NTSB investigative update published on September 9, 2026, the nose and right main landing gear touched down at a groundspeed of 158 knots, the brakes were applied at 146 knots, and the left main gear touched down at 134 knots. 

The brakes were then released at 120 knots as the throttles were advanced to a setting consistent with go-around thrust, before being returned to idle with the brakes reapplied at 117 knots. 

The final recorded groundspeed was 65 knots, and the agency found no indication that speed brakes or thrust reversers had deployed. 

The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot warning that the aircraft was too fast with about a minute and 40 seconds left on the recording, then repeating the concern through to the end. The NTSB said there was no consistent verbal response. 

The agency describes both recorder summaries as preliminary and subject to change. 

Amazon move is commercial, not a regulatory action 

Amazon holds no air operator certificate for these flights and buys lift from certificated cargo operators, a structure that leaves the operating certificate, and the regulatory relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with 21 Air. 

The pause is therefore a commercial step by Amazon, and neither company has tied it to an investigative finding. The NTSB has not determined the cause of the accident. 

21 Air, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, began flying Boeing 767s for Amazon Air in 2024.

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