A Boeing 767 freighter flying for Amazon overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, struck multiple vehicles and caught fire, forcing one of the busiest airports in the United States to close every runway and taxiway and halt all traffic.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said 21 Air Flight 7598 “overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6.” The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft had flown from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The FAA said it will investigate.
The airport said the aircraft came off its diagonal runway and was left disabled at the northwest end of the field. “All MIA runways and taxiways are currently closed, and a full ground stop is in effect,” Miami International Airport said, adding that “passengers with flights scheduled today should check directly with their airline for flight status updates before heading to the airport.”
More than 60 fire units, heavy flames
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in an incident update timed at 3:25 p.m. that more than 60 of its units were on scene “of an incident involving a plane that overran a runway and struck multiple vehicles near Miami International Airport.” Crews “arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing,” the service said, and were “working on extinguishing the fire and assessing patients.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Sunday evening that people had been killed. “I am heartbroken by the deaths following today’s cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport,” she said in a written statement. “My deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who died, and I continue to pray for everyone injured and affected.” By Monday, Levine Cava and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied Jadallah had confirmed five deaths and five injuries.
In a second incident update timed at 6:25 p.m., Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said more than 60 units and roughly 200 personnel responded, arriving to find the aircraft stopped beyond the airport’s operational boundary with heavy flames and smoke showing. Crews fought a complex engine compartment fire using foam from the airport’s own crash units. One person was trapped under one of the vehicles the aircraft struck and had to be cut free by specialist technical rescue crews, and hazardous materials units shut down the aircraft’s engine and worked to contain a fuel leak. Five patients were taken to hospital.
Amazon confirms the aircraft was flying for its network
“We can confirm that an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air experienced an incident while attempting to land at Miami International Airport today,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “This is a fast-moving situation and we’re still gathering details. We’re working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened. Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the county was closely monitoring the situation, with fire rescue and airport teams on the scene. “Right now, our focus is on everyone involved and making sure our first responders have what they need,” she said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the FAA “will send inspectors to investigate” and told travellers to “expect significant delays and potential cancellations.” The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go team to investigate what it calls a runway excursion accident, and named chair Jennifer Homendy as the board member on scene. A media briefing in Miami will be held on Monday, with the time and location still to be announced.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said late on Sunday that she was at the airport being briefed by the FAA, and that county teams were working with federal partners on “caring for those affected, supporting our first responders and keeping our community safe.”
What it means for travellers
Miami is one of the largest connecting hubs in North America and a common gateway for Canadian travellers heading to the Caribbean and Latin America. On Sunday a ground stop held Miami-bound departures at their origin airports, Toronto Pearson included, for roughly three hours. The airport has since been operating on two of its four runways, with dozens of cancellations and delays into Monday.
Anyone booked through Miami this week should check the flight status with their airline before leaving for the airport.
Where things stand
Five people were killed and five were injured, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied Jadallah said. Officials said the people who died were on the ground, struck by the aircraft or the vehicles it hit; one person had to be cut free from beneath a struck vehicle.
The two crew members aboard the flight, which had come from San Juan, Puerto Rico, survived. Both were freed from the wreckage and taken to hospital among the injured.
Two of Miami International’s four runways reopened on Sunday afternoon, about half an hour apart, and the FAA lifted its ground stop roughly three hours after the crash. The airport reported dozens of cancellations and delays into Monday as it worked with two runways.
The National Transportation Safety Board has taken the lead on the investigation, with a go-team on scene under its chair, Jennifer Homendy. As of Monday no cause had been established. The board scheduled its first briefing on the crash for 4 p.m. ET Monday.
Source: FAA statement on 21 Air Flight 7598, Sept. 6, 2026.
How this story developed
The NTSB held its first briefing on the crash at Miami International Airport at 4 p.m. Monday. Chair Jennifer Homendy said both pilots survived and that everyone killed or injured was on the ground: seven workers for an aircraft-cleaning contractor were in a van the aircraft struck, and a car was hit beyond the perimeter fence. Investigators recovered both flight recorders and will examine the absence of an engineered materials arresting system at the end of Runway 30. A separate TDot News report sets out the briefing in full.
As of Monday, Miami-Dade officials say five people were killed and five injured, all of those who died on the ground; the two flight crew survived and were taken to hospital. Two of Miami International’s four runways have reopened and the FAA ground stop has been lifted. The National Transportation Safety Board has a go-team on scene under chair Jennifer Homendy and scheduled its first briefing for 4 p.m. ET Monday. No cause has been established; any finding will come from the NTSB investigation. TDot News is closing this story here.
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go team to investigate the accident, which it describes as a runway excursion involving a Boeing 767-300 operated as 21 Air Flight 7598 from San Juan to Miami. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy will be the board member on scene, and the agency says a media briefing will be held in Miami on Monday. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says she was at the airport late on Sunday being briefed by the FAA. No agency has yet published a death toll.
Several U.S. news organisations, among them NBC News, NPR, PBS and CBS Miami, are reporting that five people were killed. No Miami-Dade agency has published a death toll: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s latest incident update gives no number of dead, and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s statement confirms deaths without a figure. TDot News has not independently confirmed the number of dead.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says people were killed in the crash, without giving a number. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's second incident update says more than 60 units and about 200 personnel responded, one person was cut free from under a struck vehicle, hazardous materials crews shut down the aircraft's engine and contained a fuel leak, and five patients were taken to hospital.
That’s sad