HAUNTING new details have emerged in the fiery Amazon cargo plane crash at a major airport that left five people dead and five others injured.
The harrowing incident occurred on Sunday when the massive Boeing aircraft overran the runway at Miami International Airport and plowed into several vehicles, including a work van that was carrying a cleaning crew.
“I would describe it in one word as devastating, utter devastation,” Jennifer Homendy, the chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said during a press conference on Monday.
“You can see on the paved surface tire marks that continues through the grass, there’s debris everywhere.
Homendy said the Econoline van, which was carrying seven people, was completely destroyed.
“The vehicle SUV, you can see airbags, surrounding airbags. You can see components from vehicles, both passenger vehicles and the aircraft itself,” she added.
“Hard to see. I’m sure it must’ve been very difficult for the responders as well.”
Despite the investigation being in the recovery phase, Homendy said NTSB officials are looking at the history of the flight, the crews’ experiences and training, radar data, and aircraft performance.
The chairwoman said the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were both recovered and are being evaluated.
The cargo plane was about 1,300 feet above the runway when it shot over the airstrip, striking airport equipment, and a cleaning work van that was inside the airport perimeter.
The aircraft then proceeded to rip through the perimeter fence, plowed through a Toyota Corolla traveling on a nearby road, and continued onto a grassy field.
The plane finally stopped near an area where a row of parked Tesla robotaxis.
Dramatic footage showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky as first responders rushed to extinguish the flames and rescue survivors.
Video obtained by NBC affiliate WTVJ captured the moment the pilot jumped out of the cargo plane immediately after the crash.
“It was shocking to witness all of that; then, unexpectedly, we saw the pilot jump out of the cockpit door and run for his life as the plane rapidly burst into flames,” Olvin Henriquez, who drove past the crash site, told the outlet.
“My family and I quickly turned the car around, fearing the plane might explode violently.”
Homendy revealed the Amazon flight crew survived the crash.
They have since been released from the hospital, according to the outlet.
The victims have not been identified.
Harrowing emergency audio showed the pulse-pounding seconds firefighters scrambled to tackle the raging blaze and rescue survivors trapped under rubble.
“The plane is on fire,” first responders are heard saying over radio traffic, according to audio obtained by the Miami Herald.
“The plane is one fire. Put your game faces on guys.”
Firefighters raced to get hoses close enough to the aircraft to douse the heavy flames and smoke pouring from the wreckage.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16963810/amazon-cargo-plane-crash-utter-devastation-miami/