Amazon has announced the suspension of its partnership with cargo carrier 21 Air following a devastating accident at Miami International Airport that left five people dead. The decision comes just days after a Boeing 767 operated by the North Carolina based firm overshot the runway on September 6, barreling nearly thirteen hundred feet past the tarmac and crashing into a van used by ground crew members. All five fatalities occurred among those inside the vehicle, while another five individuals sustained injuries during the collision.
In a statement released Sunday, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel explained that the company paused operations with 21 Air after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and offering support to the ongoing investigation. While 21 Air had been transporting packages for the e commerce giant since 2024, the airline has not yet issued a formal response regarding its sudden removal from Amazon’s logistics network.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are currently scrutinizing every detail of Flight 7598, including maintenance logs and weather reports. Preliminary data suggests a chaotic final approach, with cockpit recordings revealing automated alerts about descent speeds and proximity to terrain. Most strikingly, transcripts show one pilot warning their colleague that they were traveling too fast both during the approach and after touching down on the runway.
The aircraft involved was a thirty two year old Boeing vessel that spent most of its life as a passenger plane for various international airlines before being converted for freight service in 2015. As federal authorities work toward a final report, officials will likely focus on whether mechanical failure or pilot error contributed to the plane’s inability to stop in time, marking one of the deadliest ground accidents in recent memory at Miami International.
