Amazon Suspends Cargo Carrier 21 Air After Miami Crash Killed Five, Pilots Cite Years of Safety Complaints

Amazon said Sunday, September 13, it is suspending its partnership with 21 Air, the cargo carrier whose Boeing 767-300 overran a runway at Miami International Airport on September 6, killing five people on the ground.

"After the tragic incident last weekend, we've spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we've decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement carried by NBC News, ABC News and Reuters.

The crash happened just before 2 p.m. ET on September 6 as the Amazon Prime Air flight came in from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to NPR and the Associated Press, the jet blew roughly 1,300 feet past the end of the runway and slammed into a van carrying cleaning crew workers. ABC News reported the plane also struck a second vehicle before stopping in a field.

All five people killed were in the van on the ground, not on the aircraft, according to Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz. The Sheriff's Office identified them as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Five others were hurt. Both pilots were treated and released, while three of the injured remained hospitalized, two in critical condition, according to ABC News.

What the flight recorders show

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy described the crash site as a scene of "utter devastation."

Cockpit voice recorder data released by the NTSB, and reported by the BBC and NPR, showed one pilot repeatedly warned the other that the aircraft was flying too fast on approach, with "not a consistent verbal response" from the other pilot even as an altitude alarm and other automated warnings sounded. The Economic Times reported that flight data released by investigators suggests the crew attempted to abort the landing before the plane tore through a perimeter fence.

The aircraft itself was 32 years old, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24, cited by both NPR and KSL. It was built as a passenger jet and flew for various airlines from 1994 until it was converted to cargo use in 2015. KSL reported the plane was on its third flight of the day, having flown Cincinnati to Miami and then Miami to San Juan before the fatal return leg.

Amazon's next moves and the safety record in question

Amazon said it will shift shipments previously assigned to 21 Air to other carriers, including Sun Country Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air Transport International, ABX Air, ASL Airlines and Cargojet, according to NBC News and the Daily Mail. North Carolina-based 21 Air has flown packages for Amazon since 2024 and specializes in cargo shipments to and from Mexico, per NPR.

21 Air responded that it remains focused on "supporting the families and loved ones who were impacted by this accident, as well as working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues," adding, "We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training," according to a statement given to Reuters and reported by KSL and NBC News.

Separately from Amazon's announcement, the New York Post and Daily Mail reported that former 21 Air pilots have raised safety concerns about the company for years. Pilot Karl Seuring, who has more than three decades of flying experience, told CBS News, as cited by the Daily Mail, that "21 Air has a long-established history of safety problems." Seuring filed a retaliatory-firing complaint after raising safety issues with a manager. OSHA rejected that complaint, and Seuring's appeal has been pending before a Department of Labor tribunal since 2023, according to the Daily Mail. Those are allegations in an unresolved legal proceeding, not findings by a court or regulator.

Documents cited by CBS News, per the Daily Mail, describe pilot complaints about faulty aircraft being flown, inadequate crew rest, and pilots hired despite communication concerns. Seuring's attorney, Michael Anello, told a judge that pilot Johnny Salmonson was pressured to fly in violation of rest-period rules. Retired 21 Air pilot Tony Bless told CBS News the crash "came as no surprise" to many former employees, citing longstanding concerns about maintenance and hiring standards. The New York Post also reported that 21 Air is controlled through an LLC by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane, a detail absent from the BBC, NBC, ABC, NPR, KSL and Economic Times coverage of Amazon's suspension.

None of these safety complaints have been confirmed by the NTSB as a factor in the September 6 crash, and no charges have been filed against 21 Air or its personnel. The NTSB has not released a full transcript of the cockpit recording or a probable-cause finding, which typically comes only after a lengthier investigation. Amazon has not said whether the pause is permanent or how long it will last.