NTSB: Controllers did not warn Amazon cargo pilots of Miami tail winds

The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that Miami air traffic control cleared an Amazon cargo Boeing 767 to land without giving required wind information while a tail wind existed. The jet overran the runway on Sept. 6 and killed five people on the ground.

Wind and ATC: The local controller cleared the flight to land but “did not issue information about the wind,” the report says. FAA rules require wind direction and velocity when a runway is used with a tail-wind component. About four minutes earlier, the same controller told another flight that winds were from 190 degrees at 19 knots, gusting to 22 knots. Flight 7598 was not on that frequency then. Airport weather near the crash time showed winds from 190 degrees at about 17 knots, gusting to 26 knots, with thunderstorms in the area.

Landing sequence: Flight-data and tire marks show the jet crossed the runway 30 threshold high and fast, then touched down about 3,750 feet past the threshold at about 160 knots groundspeed, the NTSB said. Speed brakes stayed stowed and thrust reversers did not deploy. The captain, who was flying, applied wheel brakes, then released them and called for a go-around with about 930 feet of runway left, then braked again with about 415 feet left. The airplane left the pavement at about 113 knots. Cockpit audio shows the first officer repeatedly cautioned that the airplane was too fast, with “not a consistent verbal response” from the captain. It was the crew’s first day flying together; they had already flown the same jet from Miami to San Juan that morning.

Company response: Amazon suspended its partnership with 21 Air after the crash, the Associated Press reported. 21 Air, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, said Thursday it is reviewing the preliminary report and will take “all appropriate action to improve our safety based on the facts as they are established.” The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was built as a passenger jet and converted to a freighter in 2016, the NTSB said.

Uncertainty: The report is preliminary and does not state a probable cause. Whether wind, crew performance, aircraft systems, or a mix of factors led to the overrun remains under investigation. The full probe can take more than a year, AP reported.

Primary: NTSB Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report DCA26MA352 (21 Air flight 7598, N1997A, Sept. 6, 2026, MIA) — wind clearance omission vs FAA Order JO 7110.65BB; prior advisory 190°/19 kt gusting 22; METAR 190°/17 gusting 26; touchdown ~3,750 ft past threshold at 160 kt; speed brakes stowed; thrust reversers not deployed; FO speed cautions; captain PF; crew’s first flights together that day; injury counts; Homendy on scene; parties. Associated Press via NBC News, Oct 1, 2026 (~9:09 p.m. EDT) — same wind omission framing; 21 Air statement; Amazon suspended partnership; expert quotes (Tony Mello, John Goglia); cargo described as contact-lens packages. Fox Local / LiveNOW from FOX (Catherine Stoddard), Oct 1, 2026 — AP-based spectrum confirmation. Seattle Times / CNN same-day wraps corroborate FDR/go-around sequence. Preliminary report states facts under investigation and does not assign a probable cause. Refresh 4:22 AM PT Oct 2: re-checked NBC/AP, CBS, Miami Herald, Seattle Times and the NTSB docket page; no new NTSB, FAA, NATCA or Amazon statements beyond those reported. No changes.