| DAILY NEWS FOR YOU / AVIATION / NTSB | |
| |
NTSB: AMAZON CARGO PLANE PILOT REPEATEDLY WARNED AIRCRAFT WAS TOO FAST BEFORE FATAL MIAMI CRASH |
| Newly released recorder data show that one of the two pilots aboard the Amazon cargo jet repeatedly warned about excessive speed during the final approach. The NTSB says there was not a consistent verbal response to those warnings. |
| RECORDER READOUT / PRELIMINARY | 21 AIR 7598 | | | 158 KNOTS AT INITIAL TOUCHDOWN | CVR WARNING One pilot repeatedly cautioned that the aircraft was too fast. | | |
| Newly released flight data show that one of the two pilots aboard the Amazon cargo jet that overran a runway at Miami International Airport on September 6, killing five people, repeatedly warned the other pilot that the aircraft was approaching too fast. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary summary of selected cockpit voice recorder events Wednesday, offering the clearest picture yet of the moments before the Boeing 767, operating as 21 Air Flight 7598 on behalf of Amazon, overran Runway 30 after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
| FINAL APPROACH / CVR | | −01:42 | One pilot cautions that the airplane is too fast. Additional speed-related comments continue afterward. | | | | −01:04 | Automated “sink rate” warning sounds. | | | | −00:48 | “Too low terrain” warning begins and is annunciated multiple times. | | | | −00:31 | Sounds consistent with the aircraft touching down. | | | | −00:15 | A pilot calls for a go-around. | |
| Flight recorder data show that the nose and right main landing gear initially touched down at a groundspeed of 158 knots. Brakes were applied at 146 knots, while the left main gear did not touch down until the aircraft had slowed to 134 knots. At 120 knots, the brakes were released and engine power increased to a level consistent with a go-around attempt. Seconds later, the throttles were returned to idle and the brakes reapplied. The NTSB said the recorded data showed no indication that the speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed. |
| 158 INITIAL
TOUCHDOWN | 146 BRAKES
APPLIED | 120 GO-AROUND
THRUST | 117 THROTTLES
IDLE | GROUNDSPEED / KNOTS |
| |
| The aircraft continued beyond the end of the runway and traveled roughly 1,300 feet before striking vehicles near the airport perimeter. Investigators and aviation experts are examining the unstable approach, wind conditions, crew decision-making and the timing of the attempted go-around. The NTSB has emphasized that the recorder information released so far is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation continues. |
| BEYOND RUNWAY ~1,300 FT | The cargo jet struck a workers' van and another vehicle after leaving the paved runway surface. | |
| The human toll was severe. Five members of an airport aircraft-cleaning crew were killed when the cargo plane struck their van: Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Other people were injured, including occupants of vehicles struck during the overrun. Both pilots survived. |
| 5 FATALITIES | 2 PILOTS SURVIVED | 767 BOEING AIRCRAFT | |
| The aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767 originally built for passenger service before later being converted for cargo use. Investigators have not yet released a full transcript of the cockpit conversation. The NTSB plans to convene a cockpit voice recorder group to prepare a written transcript, while the broader investigation will examine crew actions, weather, aircraft systems, maintenance and other factors before determining a probable cause. |
| 03 | INVESTIGATION NOTES What the preliminary recorder data show | |
| 01 | A pilot began warning about excessive speed approximately 1 minute 42 seconds before the cockpit recording ended and continued making speed-related comments during the remainder of the approach. | |
| 02 | Initial touchdown occurred at 158 knots. A go-around was called only seconds before the aircraft departed the paved surface. | |
| 03 | The NTSB says the available flight-recorder data contain no indication that either the speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed before the recording ended. | |
| |
| SOURCES NTSB Issues Investigative Update on B-767 Runway Excursion Accident in Miami — National Transportation Safety Board
Runway Overrun of 21 Air Flight 7598 — National Transportation Safety Board
A Pilot of the Amazon Cargo Plane That Careened Off Miami Runway Warned It Was Coming in Too Fast — Associated Press
Five Cleaning Crew Workers Killed in Amazon Cargo Plane Crash at MIA — CBS Miami |
