Video Captures Amazon Cargo Pilot Escaping Wreckage After Deadly Miami Runway Crash

The pilot of the cargo jet managed to escape the fiery wreck on Sunday.Olvin Henriquez

A dramatic cellphone video has captured the moment a pilot emerged from an Amazon Prime Air cargo jet after it overran a runway at Miami International Airport, struck vehicles and caught fire in a crash that killed five people.

The Boeing 767-300, operated by cargo carrier 21 Air for Amazon’s Prime Air network, was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday afternoon when it failed to stop within the runway. Federal investigators are now examining why the aircraft traveled roughly 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface before coming to rest.

Both pilots survived. Five people on the ground were killed, while five others were injured, three of them critically.

Cellphone video captures pilot’s escape

Cellphone video captures a pilot jumping out of an Amazon cargo jet moments after it overran a runway and crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday.

The newly emerged footage was recorded by Olvin Henriquez, who was passing the airport with his family, including his 4-month-old daughter, when the crash unfolded nearby.

Henriquez’s video shows one of the pilots getting out of the damaged aircraft and dropping to the ground before moving away from the wreckage.

Henriquez said he had been stunned by what he witnessed, particularly when the pilot unexpectedly emerged from the cockpit as the situation around the aircraft rapidly deteriorated.

“It was shocking to witness all of that,” Henriquez told NBC6, describing seeing the pilot escape and run from the aircraft.

Henriquez and his family quickly turned their vehicle around because they feared the aircraft could explode.

The experience became even more frightening when he considered how close his own family had been to the path of the aircraft.

“The mere thought that, just moments earlier, my entire family could have been dragged along by the plane … is terrifying,” he said.

Jet traveled 1,300 feet beyond the runway

The crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday as Prime Air Flight 7598 landed at Miami International Airport after flying from San Juan.

The aircraft overran Runway 30, struck airport navigational equipment and then collided with a white Ford Econoline van carrying seven people. It subsequently went through the airport perimeter fence, hit a Toyota Corolla Cross traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue and continued into another fence line.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the Boeing traveled approximately 1,300 feet beyond the end of the paved runway.

The crash sparked a major emergency response as flames and thick smoke rose from the aircraft. More than 200 emergency personnel responded, and specialized airport firefighting crews used foam to battle the blaze.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah said the pilot and co-pilot had initially been trapped inside the cockpit, while other people were trapped in vehicles struck by the aircraft.

Both pilots were taken to hospital and have since been released, investigators said.

Five people killed as aircraft struck vehicles

Investigators continue work to determine what caused the crash of an Amazon cargo plane at Miami International Airport on September 07, 2026 in Miami, Florida.Getty Images

Five people on the ground died in the crash.

Another five people were injured, including three who suffered critical injuries. Officials have been working to establish the complete sequence of impacts and determine precisely where each victim was when the aircraft left the runway.

Truck driver Romierkys Rodriguez was working near the airport when the crash occurred. He recalled hearing a huge impact and feeling the area shake before seeing smoke and flames.

“Everything just went chaotic as soon as the plane fell,” Rodriguez told NBC6, describing the experience as traumatic.

The crash also caused widespread disruption at one of the country’s busiest airports. Flights were temporarily halted, with more than 160 cancellations and hundreds of delays reported by late Sunday. Operations later resumed, although two of the airport’s four runways remained closed on Monday.

Investigators recover cockpit and flight recorders

The NTSB has launched an investigation involving a team of 32 investigators led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.

Investigators have recovered both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder — commonly known as the aircraft’s “black boxes” — and sent them to Washington for analysis.

One major question will be where along the runway the Boeing 767 actually touched down.

Video of the landing appears to show the jet remaining airborne well down the runway before making contact with the ground. Aviation specialists said investigators will examine whether the aircraft landed beyond the normal touchdown zone and, if so, why the crew did not abandon the approach and attempt another landing.

Investigators are also expected to examine the aircraft’s speed, braking systems, mechanical condition, weather and wind conditions, along with other factors that could have contributed to the overrun.

No cause has yet been determined.

The aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300 freighter operated by North Carolina-based 21 Air. It had originally been built as a passenger jet before later being converted for cargo operations.

Amazon said it was cooperating with investigators and expressed condolences to those affected.

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” the company said, adding that its sympathies were with the victims’ families and loved ones.