MIAMI — Air traffic controllers did not relay tailwind information before a Sept. 6 cargo jet overrun at Miami International Airport, investigators said.
According to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report, controllers cleared 21 Air Flight 7598 to land on Runway 30 without wind data.
About 4 minutes earlier, the controller provided another aircraft winds with southerly gusts up to 25 mph, the report said. Federal regulations require controllers to state wind direction and velocity when authorizing a runway with a tailwind component, according to the NTSB.
The Boeing 767, operating from San Juan for Amazon with about 32,000 pounds of cargo, touched down roughly 3,750 feet beyond the runway threshold at about 160 knots before overrunning.
The jet exited the pavement near 130 mph, struck airport equipment and a van carrying plane-cleaning workers, broke through the perimeter fence, and hit a car on a public road, the NTSB said.
Five people in the van were killed. Two other van occupants and the car's driver sustained serious injuries, while the two pilots had minor injuries, authorities said.
Recorder data showed one pilot repeatedly warned of excessive speed during approach, and automated “sink rate” and “too low terrain” alerts sounded, according to the NTSB.
Investigators said the crew briefly initiated a go-around after touchdown: brakes were released and thrust increased at 120 knots, then throttles returned to idle with about 415 feet of runway remaining.
There was no indication the speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed before data ended, the report said. The cause remains under investigation.