Two Fatal Aviation Incidents Near Miami Under Investigation

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to interview the two pilots who survived the crash of an Amazon cargo jet at Miami International Airport. The interviews are expected to take place Wednesday, after which investigators say they may release information from the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder. The recorder, recovered Monday, contains more than two hours of good-quality audio. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said investigators want to hear the pilots’ account before issuing a readout. Preliminary flight-data-recorder information indicates that the aircraft’s nose and right main landing gear touched down about 30 seconds before the recording ended, followed by the left main landing gear 19 seconds later. The brakes were then released and the throttles were increased to settings consistent with go-around thrust. Investigators found no indication that the speed brakes or thrust reversers had been deployed. The 32-year-old Boeing 767 overran the runway while landing Sunday amid storms near the Miami airport. It travelled roughly 396 metres beyond the runway, struck a van on airport property, broke through a fence and hit an SUV on a city street. Five people in the van, all employees of Professional Ocean Service Corp., were killed. The deceased were identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, Julio C. Pineda, Carlos Acosta Fajardo and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo. Five others were injured, including two people who remained in critical condition. The aircraft was operated by North Carolina-based 21 Air and had flown from Puerto Rico. Investigators are also examining airport infrastructure. Miami International Airport lacks an engineered runway-excursion system, though experts said it appears to meet federal requirements because of a 305-metre safety buffer. Two of the airport’s four runways remained closed while investigators continued collecting evidence.

Four members of a Miami family were found dead Tuesday after their small plane disappeared while traveling from the Bahamas to Miami, according to Bahamian authorities. The aircraft, a PA-34 Piper five-seater with tail number N212ML, departed Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands at approximately 10:12 a.m. Monday. It was headed for Miami Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County, but air traffic controllers lost contact at 11:04 a.m. when the plane was about 13 miles west of Andros Island. Bahamas police said the aircraft was believed to have crash-landed off Red Bays in North Andros. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force confirmed that four bodies were located Tuesday, and authorities began transporting the remains to the Bahamas. One body was reportedly found by a relative who joined the search by boat. The victims were identified by family members as pilot Mario Lamar, 80; his wife, Lili Lamar, 79; and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22. The family had been returning to Miami after a long-weekend trip. Silvia Larrieu, Lamar’s niece, said Sofia had notified her parents through a family group chat before departure, while Mario had filed a flight plan indicating the expected arrival time. Relatives contacted authorities after their messages to the family stopped being delivered. Larrieu described Mario Lamar as an experienced and cautious pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience who carefully maintained the aircraft. She called the incident “awful.” Bahamian officials contacted the U.S. Coast Guard around 2 p.m. Monday for help locating the downed aircraft. The Coast Guard’s Southeast District command center dispatched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist Bahamian search efforts.

Four members of the Lamar family were found dead Tuesday after the small plane they were traveling in disappeared off the Bahamas, according to a family member and Bahamian authorities. The aircraft left Great Harbour Cay, in the northern Bahamas, on Monday, bound for Miami Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island. The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association was notified, while the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to search for the aircraft. However, poor weather forced the official search to be postponed until conditions improved. Family members later conducted their own search by boat and recovered human remains, Silvia Larrieu said. Police confirmed that remains had been recovered and placed in their custody for transport to New Providence. The Bahamas’ Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority said that neither the plane nor related wreckage or debris had been located. The agency is coordinating with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies to investigate the crash. No cause or contributing factors have yet been determined. Larrieu identified the victims as her uncle, Mario Lamar, 80, who was piloting the aircraft; his wife, Lily Lamar, 79; and their grandchildren, Christian Sosa, 22, and Sophie Sosa, 28. She said Mario had more than 40 years of piloting experience and routinely flew to the Bahamas. The family had spent Labour Day weekend at their home on Great Harbour Cay, which Larrieu described as their second home. Authorities became involved after Sophie sent a message indicating they were leaving, but subsequent messages were not delivered. The U.S. Coast Guard said it deployed an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist Bahamian authorities after receiving a report of a downed aircraft carrying four people. The family expressed gratitude to those who helped search and asked for privacy while mourning their loss.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said evidence from the flight data recorder indicates that the pilots of an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane briefly considered aborting their landing after the aircraft had already touched down at Miami International Airport on Sept 6. The 32-year-old Boeing 767, operated by Miami-based 21 Air, overran the runway by approximately 396m and struck two vehicles, killing five people and injuring five others. According to the NTSB, the nose and right main landing gear touched down at 158 knots, or 293kmh, about 30 seconds before the end of the recording. The left main landing gear touched down 19 seconds before the recording ended at 134 knots. A few seconds later, the pilots released the brakes and increased the throttles to settings consistent with go-around thrust, suggesting a late attempt to return to the air. However, the throttles were reduced to idle power and the brakes reapplied 11 seconds before the end of the recording. The aircraft’s final recorded ground speed was 65 knots. Investigators found no indication that the aircraft’s speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed to assist with slowing. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said investigators would interview both pilots and then release information from the cockpit voice recorder. The pilots, a 55-year-old captain and a 37-year-old first officer, had 7,145 and 2,655 total flight hours, respectively. Both had relatively recent Boeing 767 type ratings. The aircraft was on its third flight of the day, having flown from Cincinnati to Miami and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before returning to Miami. Homendy was leading a team of 32 investigators, and the NTSB said one of two runways closed after the accident had reopened for departures in an easterly direction.