Authorities released names Sept. 8 of five people killed when anAmazon cargo plane overshot a runway at Miami International Airport, slamming into two vehicles.
The crash, which took place Sept. 6 when flight 7598 overshot the airport’s diagonal runway, also injured another five people, including the pilot and copilot. Both men have since been released from the hospital, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said at a news conference.
The five deceased victims are: Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. All were employees for a company that provided cleaning services to aircrafts.
Two other people who were in the van remain hospitalized. Ridoel Averhoff
Diaz, 32, is in critical condition and Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres, 36, is in stable condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
A third person, Eugenio Corredor, 79, was in a Toyota SUV that was hit by the airplane. He remains hospitalized in critical condition.
“It’s an incredibly tragic incident that has occurred,” Cordero-Stutz said at the news conference. “One leaves their house to go to work, to visit family, to do what we normally do, without thinking that is even a possibility.”
What caused the deadly Amazon plane crash in Florida?
National Transportation Safety Board officials said it was too early to speculate and they planned to be on scene collecting evidence for about a week.
The plane’s flight data recorder and voice recorder were recovered and are being examined, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said at a press conference Sept. 7. Another press conference is scheduled for the evening of Sept. 8.
Robert A. Clifford, an aviation attorney with nearly 50 years experience examined the initial data of the crash and believed it was possibly caused by pilot error.
“This appears to be a classic tailwind landing mistake where a pilot mistakenly or over-confidently decides to land with a tailwind instead of a headwind which causes excessive touchdown speed and distance from the threshold, leaving inadequate stopping distance for the airplane's braking and reverse thrust systems to handle,” Clifford said in a statement.
“The highway vehicles stood no chance against the 300,000-pound Boeing 767-300 crashing into them at that speed.”
What is the status of Miami International Airport?
Two of the four runways at Miami International Airport remained closed Wednesday, Sept. 8.
“Cancellations continue due to aircraft and flight crews not having arrived,” according to a statement from the airport. “Passengers with flights scheduled today should check directly with their airline for flight updates before heading to the airport.”
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Identities of those killed in Florida Amazon plane crash released
