Air traffic controller failed to warn Amazon cargo jet pilots about tailwind before Miami crash that killed five

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026.

The NTSB's preliminary report reveals an air traffic controller violated federal regulations by withholding wind information from the crew of a 21 Air cargo jet shortly before it overran the runway at Miami International Airport on 6 September, killing five people in a van on the ground. The same controller had issued a 25mph gust warning to a separate aircraft only four minutes before authorising the Amazon flight to land, yet passed nothing to that crew. The two pilots, who had never flown together before, also failed to respond consistently to repeated cockpit alerts warning that the aircraft was approaching too quickly.

The Boeing jet touched down 3,750 feet beyond the designated landing zone at around 184mph, striking a van carrying aircraft-cleaning workers and killing all five occupants.

Federal rules required controllers to state both wind direction and velocity when a tailwind component exists; the controller issued no such advisory to the Amazon crew.

The first officer repeatedly flagged that their approach speed was excessive, but the captain gave no consistent verbal response to the speed alerts before the catastrophic overshoot.