Investigators have released new details about the Amazon Prime Air cargo plane crash that killed five people and injured five others on Sunday, as crews continue combing through wreckage at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport. The Boeing 767‑33A, operating as Flight 7598 Amazon Air, had two crew members onboard and was arriving from Puerto Rico on its third flight of the day when disaster struck.
The aircraft overran the runway, smashing through navigational aids and airport equipment before ploughing into a white Ford van belonging to a contract cleaning company, carrying seven people. Moments later, it struck a Toyota Corolla travelling along 67th Avenue, before finally coming to rest 1,300ft (394m) beyond the runway’s end.
Despite the new information, investigators say many questions remain. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is examining the flight’s history, crew training, aircraft components, weather conditions at landing, and the operational relationship between Amazon and 21 Air, the cargo carrier contracted to operate the flight.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said her team is “deeply committed” to determining how and why the accident occurred, stressing that the goal is to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Eyewitness accounts are beginning to emerge. Grace Mercado, who was in a car near the crash site, said she heard an “extremely loud noise” that made her look up from her phone moments before the aircraft tore through the area.
As investigators sift through debris and interview witnesses, families of the victims and the wider aviation community await answers to one of the most serious cargo aviation accidents in recent years.
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