New details have emerged about the immediate aftermath of the fatal Amazon cargo plane crash in Miami, including what one of the pilots reportedly said to his wife in a phone call just minutes after the collision.
What happened
The two pilots, later identified as 55-year-old Joseph Carroll and 37-year-old Silva Molina, survived the crash with only minor injuries after their Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft overshot the runway while landing at Miami International Airport at around 2pm on 6 September. The plane had travelled from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before overshooting the runway, crashing through a perimeter fence, and striking two vehicles. Five people were killed and five others injured.
What the pilot said
Moments after the crash, one of the pilots borrowed a phone from Miami International staff member Abraham Altamar to call his wife. Altamar told CBS the pilot was visibly shaking, with minor injuries to his forehead and hand, and had already contacted emergency services before making the call.
According to Altamar, the pilot told his wife: "Just tell my mom that I was in the accident, but I'm already out of the plane, that I'm good." He also reportedly told her, while visibly upset, "My career is over." It remains unclear whether the pilot was aware of the fatalities at the time of the call, or which of the two pilots made it.
The investigation so far
The National Transportation Safety Board is reviewing flight data and the plane's recovered black box to determine the cause of the crash. Investigators confirmed the aircraft collided with a Ford van carrying seven employees of airline cleaning contractor Professional Ocean Service Corp, as well as a Toyota SUV. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo noted that landings are typically expected to occur within the first 3,000ft of the runway, and that a landing attempt should generally be aborted if that window is missed. Investigators are examining whether the aircraft touched down too late to stop safely, alongside other factors including brake performance, weather conditions, and the aircraft's mechanical condition.
Officials describe the scene
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy described the crash site as one of utter devastation, noting tire marks extending from the runway into the grass and extensive debris across the scene. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadalla told The Independent that rescue crews faced a complex operation, including extracting victims trapped in vehicles, managing a significant fire, and searching for the pilot and co-pilot, who were themselves trapped in the aircraft.
