Dramatic video shows flames shooting from an Amazon cargo plane after it overran the runway at Miami International Airport — as terrified witnesses feared the jet would explode.
The Boeing 767 jet — operated by 21 Air — was flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it skidded off the runway at 129 mph after touching down just before 2 p.m. Sunday. At least five people were killed and another five were injured in the wreck.
Flames were seen roaring from the back of the right engine as the cargo jet skidded to a stop, video shared by the Miami-based account Only in Dade shows.
“Oh my f–king God,” a witness filming the crash is heard screeching.
Around 60 fire and rescue services raced to the scene.
“The plane’s on fire. The plane’s on fire,” one responder warned in Broadcastify audio obtained first by the Miami Herald.
The 32-year-old Boeing plane landed on runway 30, which is more than 9,000 feet long, according to FAA data. It’s not clear why the plane was unable to stop before it careened off the runway and smashed into multiple vehicles.
Three of the injured who were hospitalized were listed in critical condition.
“A horrific accident, we were there at the yard, and then out of nowhere we just, we could see a plane just coming down and just hear the boom, the explosion that happened, you could feel the shake, you could see the smoke coming out, the flames, just felt like a couple of feet away from us,” truck driver Romiersky Rodriguez, told the NBC affiliate WTVJ.
Rodriguez said he feared the massive jet would explode — and it was later revealed fire crews had to deal with a fuel leak.
“Everything just went chaotic as soon as the plane fell, people all around, smoke everywhere, it’s a horrific experience,” he said.
“I couldn’t get close enough because we were scared that the plane was going to blow up.”
The sound of the crash reverberated through Miami neighborhoods, with Jose Sanchez, who lives three miles from the airport, recalling how his home shook.
He then went outdoors and saw huge plumes of smoke in the distance.
“As I stepped outside, it got stronger,” he told CBS News.
Beth Tilman, who also lives near the airport, told the New York Times how the stench from the fumes was something she had “never smelled before.”
“It wasn’t trees burning. It wasn’t mangroves burning,” she said.
The cause of the plane crash remains unknown and an investigation has been launched by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Investigators are set to examine if the plane flew too far before landing.
The typical landing zone is within the first 3,000 feet of a runway.
Investigators will also look to see if a tailwind contributed to the crash.
With Post wires
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