NTSB says controller failed to warn Amazon cargo pilots of tailwind before Miami crash
The report cites a missed wind advisory and notes federal rules require such information when a tail‑wind component exists.
By Felo News Desk · Published
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board says an air‑traffic controller did not inform the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane about a strong tailwind before they attempted to land at Miami International Airport, leading the aircraft to overrun the runway and kill five people.
What happened
On Sept. 6, a Boeing 767‑cargo aircraft operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon arrived from Puerto Rico and was cleared to land on a runway at Miami International Airport. The plane landed too fast, failed to deploy speed brakes or thrust reversers, and travelled about 1,200 feet (366 m) beyond the runway end, striking a service van and killing five occupants of the van.
What the reports add
- Both the Winnipeg Free Press and The Independent note that, four minutes before the Amazon flight was cleared to land, an air‑traffic controller issued a wind advisory to a different flight, reporting gusts of up to 25 mph (40 kph) from the south.
- The controller "did not issue information about the wind" to the Amazon crew, according to the NTSB preliminary report.
- Federal regulations require that both wind direction and velocity be stated when a tail‑wind component exists; the report cites this rule as being violated.
- The Independent adds that the aircraft was a 32‑year‑old Boeing 767, originally built for passengers and converted to a cargo plane in June 2016.
- Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot repeatedly warning the other that they were approaching too fast, but the counterpart gave no consistent verbal response.
- The two pilots were flying together for the first time on that day.
- Experts mentioned that strong winds from approaching storms could have created a tail‑wind that helped propel the plane forward.
- The report also references a prior cargo‑plane accident less than a year earlier, when a UPS aircraft crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing all three pilots and 12 people on the ground.
What was said
"did not issue information about the wind"
The phrase appears in the NTSB report as quoted by both outlets.
How it came about
The crash follows Amazon’s decision on Sept. 14 to suspend its partnership with 21 Air after the incident, as reported in Felo’s earlier coverage. The investigation, still ongoing, has previously identified excessive speed and failure to use speed brakes as factors, but the new preliminary report highlights the missed wind advisory as an additional cause.
Key facts
- An air‑traffic controller failed to relay a tail‑wind advisory to the Amazon cargo plane before it landed. (independent.co.uk)
- The plane overran the runway on Sept. 6, traveling about 1,200 ft beyond the end and striking a service van. (independent.co.uk)
- Five people in the van were killed. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- Federal regulations require wind direction and velocity to be stated when a tail‑wind component exists. (independent.co.uk)
- The NTSB report is preliminary and was released on Oct. 1, 2026. (winnipegfreepress.com)
Timeline
- 2026-09-06 — Amazon cargo plane overruns runway at Miami International Airport, five killed.
- 2026-09-14 — Amazon suspends 21 Air operations after Miami crash.
- 2026-10-01 — NTSB releases preliminary report stating controller did not warn pilots of tailwind.
