Amazon-operated 767 freighter saw throttles advanced to go-around power before fatal Miami runway overrun

Federal investigators examining the fatal runway excursion of a Boeing 767-300 freighter at Miami have disclosed that thrust levers were moved to go-around power roughly 15 seconds after touchdown — a detail that may prove central to understanding the 6 September accident, though the cause remains undetermined.

The aircraft, flown by cargo operator 21 Air under contract to Amazon, was landing on runway 30, a 9,360ft strip, when it overran the pavement, struck a van inside the airport perimeter and then collided with a car on a highway beyond the runway’s far end. Five people died.

What the flight data shows

At a briefing on 8 September, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chief investigator Chihoon Shin walked through preliminary flight-data recorder findings. The aircraft’s nose gear and right-hand main landing gear contacted the runway at a groundspeed of 158kt, about 30 seconds before the recording ended. Brakes were applied seven seconds later, though the left-hand main gear did not touch down until a further four seconds had passed, by which point the jet had slowed to 134kt.

Fifteen seconds after touchdown, at 120kt, the brakes were released and the throttles advanced to settings Shin described as consistent with go-around thrust. Four seconds later they were pulled back to idle, and braking resumed at 117kt — remaining applied until the recording ended. Shin noted there is no sign in the data that speedbrakes or thrust reversers were ever deployed.

The NTSB has not concluded whether the thrust increase reflected an aborted landing attempt, nor has it specified where along the runway these events occurred. About four seconds after the thrust reduction, with the aircraft at 96kt, recorded accelerations changed; the jet was still moving at 65kt when the data ends.

Board chair Jennifer Homendy said the cockpit-voice recorder yielded good-quality audio, but the agency is interviewing the two pilots before releasing details. She noted the captain earned his 767 type rating in May, and the first officer in April 2025; investigators are still compiling the crew’s experience and flight-hour records. She also said the impact of the delayed left-gear touchdown on braking and reverse-thrust systems remains an open question.

The accident touches the cargo aviation supply chain that serves e-commerce logistics, a sector adjacent to the broader aerospace and defence industrial base — one in which diversified manufacturers such as National Presto Industries (NYSE: NPK) also participate. NPK shares closed recently at $146.52, down 0.81% from the prior close of $147.72, giving the Industrials-sector company a market capitalisation of roughly $1.06 billion.

What to watch

• Release of the cockpit-voice recorder readout, expected after the pilots are interviewed
• Clarification on whether a go-around was attempted, and why speedbrakes and reversers were not deployed
• Updated NTSB findings on crew experience and the effect of the asymmetric gear touchdown
• Any preliminary report or probable-cause update from the NTSB

Source: original release