An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 sits beyond the runway near a roadway at Miami International as thick black smoke rises from the crash site following its arrival from San Juan.
An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo aircraft arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, overran a runway at Miami International Airport Sunday afternoon, struck multiple vehicles and caught fire, prompting a massive emergency response and temporarily shutting down flight operations at one of the nation's busiest airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Boeing 767-300 overran the runway after landing at Miami International at about 2 p.m. The aircraft had departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The FAA identified the aircraft as 21 Air Flight 7598, operating as a Prime Air cargo flight.
The aircraft continued beyond the runway and came to rest near the northwest end of the airport. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the plane struck multiple vehicles after the runway overrun. The Associated Press reported that the vehicles included two semi-trucks. The aircraft caught fire, sending a large column of black smoke over the area as emergency crews converged on the scene.
More than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze while assessing multiple patients associated with the crash. As of late Sunday afternoon, authorities had not announced an official number of injured people or provided their conditions, and no confirmed fatality count had been released.
The crash caused an immediate shutdown of airport operations. Airport officials said all runways and taxiways were closed as of 3 p.m., while the FAA imposed a ground stop because of the disabled aircraft. The closure affected arrivals and departures and was expected to produce broader delays as the airport dealt with the emergency and subsequent recovery operations.
Video from the scene showed the cargo aircraft beyond the runway area with emergency vehicles surrounding it. Earlier footage showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site. The aircraft's fuselage remained largely intact despite the runway excursion, collision and fire.
The FAA said it will investigate the crash. Authorities had not announced what caused the aircraft to overrun the runway, and no determination had been made regarding whether weather, mechanical issues, the landing itself or other factors contributed to the accident.
The San Juan origin gives the incident a direct Caribbean connection. Flight 7598 was operating from Puerto Rico's principal international airport to Miami, a major aviation and cargo gateway between the Caribbean and the continental United States.
This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information is confirmed.
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