A Boeing 767 operated by cargo carrier 21 Air crashed into a van and an SUV on Miami International Airport’s runway, killing five workers from a plane‑cleaning company: Rolando Aleman Leon (55), Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo (53), Julio C. Pineda (75), Carlos Acosta Fajardo (53) and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo (47). Two injured passengers, Ridoel Averhoff Diaz (32) and Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres (36), remain in critical condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a summary of the cockpit voice recorder. About one minute and 42 seconds before the recording ended, one pilot warned that the aircraft was traveling too fast. The pilot continued to comment on the excessive speed for the remainder of the recording, while the other pilot did not give a consistent verbal response. Fifteen seconds before the recording stopped, the pilot called for a go‑around, a maneuver to abort a landing and circle for another attempt. Moments later, audio of the plane veering off the runway was heard.
The jet overran the runway by roughly 1,300 feet, struck the van, then collided with an SUV before catching fire. The aircraft was returning from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was carrying mostly contact lenses.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy noted that the captain, 55, had 7,145 flight hours, while the first officer, 37, had 2,655. Both pilots were interviewed by investigators on Wednesday.
