Amazon Cargo Jet Pilot Reportedly Said ‘My Career Is Over’ After Deadly Miami Runway Crash

Workers investigate a damaged Amazon cargo plane on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, at the Miami International Airport in Miami. The aircraft overshot a runway two days earlier.AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

One of the pilots who survived the deadly Amazon cargo jet crash at Miami International Airport was reportedly shaking and visibly distressed moments after escaping the aircraft, telling his wife during a phone call: “My career is over.”

The dramatic account has emerged as federal investigators examine why Prime Air Flight 7598, a Boeing 767 operated by 21 Air, overran Runway 30 while arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, September 6. The aircraft continued roughly 1,300 feet beyond the paved surface, striking airport equipment and vehicles before coming to a stop. Five people were killed and five others were injured.

The two pilots, identified as Felipe Silva Molina, 37, and Joseph Carroll, 55, survived with relatively minor injuries. It remains unclear which of the two pilots was described in the witness account.

Witness Describes Pilot Moments After Crash

Miami Dade Fire Rescue officials inspect a damaged vehicle on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Miami. The inspection comes two days after an Amazon cargo plane overshot a runway at Miami International Airport.AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Abraham Altamar was working in a building near the airport when the crash unfolded.

He later described the scene as both “surreal” and “scary,” and recalled encountering one of the pilots after he had escaped the wreckage.

According to Altamar, the man was shaking and had injuries to his forehead and hand. Altamar initially offered to call emergency services, but the pilot told him they had already been contacted.

The pilot instead needed something else: a phone.

Altamar handed over his cellphone so the man could contact his family and tell them he had survived.

During the call, according to Altamar, the pilot reassured his wife that he was out of the aircraft and OK, asking her to let his mother know he had been involved in the accident but had made it out.

Despite those reassuring words, Altamar said the pilot was clearly shaken by what had happened.

At one point during the conversation, the pilot reportedly told his wife: “My career is over.”

It has not been established whether the man Altamar assisted was Carroll or Silva Molina.

Carroll has been identified as a captain with 21 Air, while Silva Molina is a first officer.

Five People Killed After Jet Overran Runway

The crash happened shortly before 2 p.m. as Flight 7598 returned to Miami from San Juan.

The Boeing 767 overran the end of the runway and traveled through the airport perimeter, leaving a trail of debris before eventually stopping near a roadway.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the aircraft struck navigation equipment, a van carrying seven workers from an aircraft cleaning company and a Toyota SUV outside airport property.

All five people who died were occupants of the vehicles struck by the aircraft. Five other people were injured.

Images and video from the scene showed flames and thick black smoke rising above the airport as emergency crews rushed to the wreckage.

More than 200 emergency personnel responded on Sunday, while the accident caused widespread disruption at one of the country’s busiest airports, including hundreds of delayed or canceled flights.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy later walked the path taken by the aircraft after it left the runway.

She described extensive debris, damaged fencing, airport equipment and wrecked vehicles along the route.

Homendy described the scene as “utter devastation.”

Investigators Examine the Landing

The NTSB investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not yet determined a probable cause.

The agency has confirmed that 21 Air Flight 7598 overran Runway 30 during landing.

Investigators are examining the aircraft’s approach and touchdown, including whether it landed too far down the runway to stop safely.

Video of the landing appeared to show the Boeing 767 remaining airborne unusually far along the runway before touching down. Investigators are also examining the aircraft’s speed, braking performance, mechanical condition and the weather and wind conditions at the time.

New preliminary flight-data information has added another focus to the investigation. The data indicates the crew attempted to abort the landing after an unstable touchdown sequence, but the aircraft ultimately continued beyond the runway. Investigators are working to establish the precise sequence and why the attempted go-around did not prevent the overrun.

The aircraft did not deploy its thrust reversers, according to preliminary information reported from the investigation, although officials have not yet determined the significance of that detail or assigned responsibility for the accident.

Weather is also among the factors being examined. Stormy conditions and shifting winds were present around the time of the accident, but investigators have not concluded that weather caused the crash.

Investigation Remains Ongoing

The aircraft was a Boeing 767 operated by North Carolina-based cargo carrier 21 Air on behalf of Amazon’s Prime Air operation.

The jet was approximately 32 years old and had originally entered service as a passenger aircraft before being converted for cargo operations in 2015.

Amazon said after the accident that it was heartbroken by the loss of life and would cooperate with the investigation.

For investigators, the central task now is reconstructing exactly what happened during Flight 7598’s final approach, touchdown and attempted recovery.

For one of the two pilots who walked away from the wreckage, however, the immediate aftermath was captured in a far more personal moment.

Standing outside the aircraft, injured and shaken but alive, he borrowed a stranger’s phone to tell his family he had survived — before reportedly telling his wife that he believed his flying career was over.