An Amazon cargo plane barreled off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking multiple vehicles and bursting into flames in a crash that sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky and forced the closure of all runways at one of the nation’s busiest airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft overran the runway at around 2 p.m. after heading into Florida from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Prime Air plane came to rest beside a roadway, with two semi-trucks parked nearby, according to images on social media. Images showed the plane on its belly and largely intact despite the fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was “gathering information” about the crash.
Amazon did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
It was not immediately known if anyone was injured.
All runways and taxiways were closed and a ground stop is in effect, an airport spokesperson said.
During a ground stop all flights are put on hold and the airport is essentially shut down. The FAA has already said it expects flights to be delayed after the Miami airport does reopen with a low rate of arrivals and departures.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said the plane struck multiple vehicles after overrunning the runway. Responders arrived to find the airplane on fire. Sixty Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units were at the scene trying to extinguish the fire, the agency said in a social media post Sunday afternoon.
