An NTSB investigator works near a damaged van at the site where an Amazon cargo plane overshot the runway two days earlier while landing at Miami International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

MIAMI - The five people killed when an Amazon cargo jet ran off the runway at Miami International Airport were all inside a van used to shuttle cleaning crews to planes to clean them, authorities said.

The jet overran the runway while landing Sunday. It slammed into the van on airport property, careened through a fence and then smashed an SUV on a city street.


Five other people were injured. The pilot and co-pilot have been released from the hospital, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said Tuesday. Two people remain in critical condition and a third is in stable condition.

Cordero-Stutz said the deceased ranged in age from 47 to 75.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. One focus will be on the lack of a system to slow and stop speeding jets.

Miami is not one of the 120 airports in the U.S. with lightweight, crushable material at the end of runways that the Federal Aviation Administration says have saved around 500 lives.

Experts said even without a runway excursion system, Miami's airport appears to be compliant with federal rules because it has a 1,000-foot (305-meter) safety buffer at the end of its runways.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Monday her agency's goal is to prevent tragedies, but runway excursions continue to happen even after the board has suggested installing the systems in the past.

 Our recommendations must be implemented or we're going to be here again,  she said at a Monday news conference.

The five people killed were all in a van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a company that cleans planes. The company said it wouldn't comment on the crash out of respect for the families who lost loved ones.

 Our employees are far more than the people who work beside us each day, they are family, and they are deeply loved. Our hearts and prayers are with every emplo

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