A portion of one runway at Miami International Airport reopened days after a deadly Amazon cargo plane crash that killed five people and injured another five.
Runway 8R opened for departures in the easterly direction, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference the night of Sept. 8. The runway where the crash took place Sept. 6 still remains closed with the Boeing 767-33A still in its final resting place just beyond the runway.
“We worked diligently throughout the day to try to turn some of that back over,” Homendy said, adding it wasn’t clear when the airport will be back to fully operational, but her team expected to be on the scene for about a week.
The plane was arriving from San Juan when it overshot
the runway colliding with a van carrying seven employees from a company that cleans aircrafts and a Toyota SUV.
Pilots in Florida’s deadly Amazon crash set to be interviewed
NTSB officials plan to interview the pilot and copilot Sept. 9.
The captain, 55 and the first officer, 37, were taken to the hospital for treatment but have since been released. Officials have not released their identities.
The plane’s flight data recorder and voice recorder were recovered and examined in Washington D.C. NTSB officials were able to get two hours of “good quality” audio from the cockpit, however, details of what was discovered was not released.
Homendy said her team wants to speak with the two pilots before the data is released. It was revealed that “no indication that speed breaks or thrust reversers were deployed.”
There were no hazardous material on board. The cargo was mainly made up of contact lenses.
Who were the victims in the deadly Amazon plane crash in Florida?
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.
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: Florida Amazon plane crash pilots will be interviewed; part of runway opens
