Amazon has paused operations with cargo carrier 21 Air after reviewing circumstances surrounding the Sept. 6 crash of Flight 7598 in Miami that killed five people and injured five others.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.

Amazon suspended its operations with cargo airline 21 Air on Sunday, one week after a Boeing 767 operating for the company overran a runway in Miami and crashed into two vehicles, killing five people.

The decision followed Amazon’s review of circumstances surrounding Flight 7598 while federal investigators continue examining the landing, including cockpit recordings indicating that one pilot repeatedly warned the other that the aircraft was traveling too fast.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company would continue assisting investigators and those affected by the crash.

“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Nantel said. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation, and everyone affected.”

Nantel said safety has always been Amazon’s top priority.

The announcement came after the National Transportation Safety Board said Sept. 9 that information recovered from the cockpit voice recorder captured repeated warnings about the aircraft’s speed during its approach.

Flight 7598 crashed Sept. 6 after overrunning the runway by approximately 1,300 feet. The cargo jet struck a workers’ van and an SUV, leaving five people dead and five others injured. Both pilots survived.

Investigators have since released preliminary information showing an unusual sequence during the final seconds of the landing.

NTSB investigator-in-charge Chihoon Shin said during a Sept. 8 news conference that the aircraft’s nose landing gear and right main landing gear touched the runway 30 seconds before the flight data recording ended. At that point, the Boeing 767 was traveling at 158 knots, or approximately 181 mph.

The left main landing gear did not touch down until 19 seconds before the recording ended, when the aircraft was traveling at 134 knots, or approximately 154 mph.

A few seconds later, investigators found that the brakes were released and the throttles increased to settings consistent with go-around thrust, Shin said.

That sequence could indicate that the crew made a late attempt to abandon the landing and return to the air.

The recorded flight data showed no indication that either the speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed to help slow the aircraft, according to the NTSB.

Investigators had recovered both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as the aircraft’s black boxes, on Sept. 7.

Questions about 21 Air’s safety record also surfaced during the initial days of the investigation.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said Sept. 8 that she had not reviewed media reports concerning alleged safety issues involving the carrier and encouraged anyone possessing potentially relevant information to provide it directly to investigators.

“I don’t know anything about those,” Homendy said. “But what I will say is, just like when we were looking for evidence, if you want to share, please send that in to [email protected]. If you think anything is relevant to this investigation, anything, send it in.”

21 Air, which is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, said following the crash that it was cooperating with the NTSB, Federal Aviation Administration and Florida authorities.

CEO Keith Winters described the company as “devastated” by what happened.

“Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” Winters said.

“Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the appropriate authorities, and ensuring that accurate and verified information is communicated as it becomes available.”

Greensboro television station WFMY News 2 reported last week that it had contacted 21 Air about safety concerns and visited the company’s headquarters but received no response.

The Epoch Times also sought comment from 21 Air and had not received a response by publication time.

The aircraft involved in the crash was a 32-year-old Boeing 767 that began its service life as a passenger jet. According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, the aircraft flew for multiple airlines outside the United States for more than two decades before being converted for cargo service in 2015.

Flight 7598 was completing its third flight of the day when the crash occurred. It had arrived from San Juan, Puerto Rico, carrying cargo consisting primarily of contact lenses.

The identities of the 55-year-old pilot and the first officer have not been officially released.

Amazon’s suspension of operations with 21 Air now adds a commercial consequence to an investigation still focused on determining why the Boeing 767 failed to stop on the runway, whether the crew attempted a late go-around and what factors contributed to a crash that killed five people on the ground.

Air, overran the runway by about 1,300 feet on Sept. 6 and crashed into a workers’ van and an SUV, killing five people and injuring another five. Both pilots survived.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement on Sunday that safety has always been the company’s top priority.

“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Nantel said. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation, and everyone affected.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Sept. 9 that evidence from the cockpit voice recorder showed the pilot was repeatedly warned by his counterpart that he was going too fast as he came in to land.

During a news conference on Sept. 8, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters that she had not seen press reports about safety concerns regarding 21 Air.

“I don’t know anything about those,” Homendy said. “But what I will say is, just like when we were looking for evidence, if you want to share, please send that in to [email protected]. If you think anything is relevant to this investigation, anything, send it in.”

21 Air ‘Devastated’

The CEO of 21 Air, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, posted a statement on the company’s website last week saying the company was “devastated” by the Miami crash.

“Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” CEO Keith Winters said.

“Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the appropriate authorities, and ensuring that accurate and verified information is communicated as it becomes available.”

He also said they were cooperating fully with the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities in Florida.

WFMY News 2, a local television channel in Greensboro, said last week it had reached out to the company about safety concerns and visited its head office, but had received no response.

The Epoch Times reached out to 21 Air for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

The 32-year-old Boeing was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines abroad for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.

NTSB investigators said on Sept. 7 that they had recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, commonly called black boxes.

During a news conference on Sept. 8, NTSB’s investigator-in-charge, Chihoon Shin, said ⁠that 30 seconds before the end of the flight data recording, the nose landing gear and ​right main landing gear touched down on the runway at a speed of 158 knots (181 mph), while 19 seconds before the end of the recording, the left main landing gear touched down at a speed of 134 knots (154 mph).

According to Shin, a few seconds later, the brakes were released, and the throttles were increased to ​values consistent with go-around thrust.

That may indicate a late attempt to abort the landing and ​get back in the air, he added.

The NTSB stated that the recorded data showed no indication that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed to slow the plane.

The 55-year-old pilot and his first officer have not been officially identified.

Flight 7598 was on its third flight of the day, having flown in from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a cargo mainly consisting of contact lenses.

Original article