Amazon Cuts Ties With 21 Air After Miami Crash That Killed 5

Amazon has suspended its partnership with 21 Air, the North Carolina cargo carrier whose Boeing 767 ran off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sept. 6 and killed five people on the ground. The company announced the decision on Sept. 13, a week after the crash.

"After the tragic incident last weekend, we've spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we've decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a prepared statement reported by the Associated Press. "We'll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected."

The jet was loaded with Amazon packages when it came in fast, travelled roughly 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the end of the runway and smashed into a van carrying workers from a plane-cleaning company. All five people who died were inside the van, and five others were hurt, according to AP.

The decision lands now because it is the first commercial consequence of an investigation still in its early stages. Flight information released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Sept. 9 showed that one of the pilots warned his counterpart they were going too fast, both on approach and after touchdown. The plane was unsteady as it came in and did not touch down until well beyond its intended point on the runway, leaving less room to stop. A tail wind may have helped push it further. Cockpit audio also captured a series of automated warnings about the rate of descent and the approaching terrain.

For anyone who ships or receives e-commerce parcels, the case opens a rare window onto the contracted air network behind fast delivery. Amazon does not fly most of its freighters itself; it buys capacity from operators such as 21 Air, which had carried Amazon packages since 2024 and also flies for DHL. DHL did not immediately say whether it will keep using the carrier. The aircraft involved was 32 years old, built as a passenger jet and converted to carry freight in 2015, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24 — a conversion path common across the cargo fleets that move online orders.

What is still unknown is the cause. The NTSB has not assigned blame and says it will examine the actions of the pilots and air traffic controllers, the jet's maintenance history, the airline's practices and the stormy weather at the time. The full transcript of the cockpit conversation will not be released until later in the investigation.

21 Air said it remains "focused on supporting the families and loved ones who were impacted by this accident," and that it is working with the NTSB and partners including Amazon. "We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training," the carrier said.