Pilot warned Amazon cargo plane going too fast before deadly crash, data shows

What the report says

US investigators say new flight data points to warning signs in the final moments before an Amazon cargo plane crashed at Miami, Florida, on Sunday. According to an update from the National Transportation Safety Board, one pilot repeatedly told the other that the Boeing 767-300 was moving at excessive speed as it approached the runway, while the cockpit response was described as inconsistent even as automated alerts sounded.

BBC World News reported that the aircraft’s landing speed was 158 knots, which aviation experts said was on the high side. The NTSB also said the plane gave off a “sink rate” warning and a “too low terrain” alert before the impact. The cargo flight, Amazon Prime Air Flight 7598, overshot the runway, struck ground equipment and vehicles, broke through a perimeter fence and came to rest about 1,300 feet beyond the runway.

Five people were killed and five others injured in the crash. The people who died were in a van being used by a plane-cleaning crew, and Miami authorities identified them on Tuesday. The investigation remains ongoing, with the NTSB examining flight data such as speed, altitude and flap deployment to understand why the landing went wrong. In general aviation terms, flap settings and descent management can be important for slowing and stabilizing an aircraft before touchdown.