Miami firefighters were captured climbing into the cockpit of an Amazon cargo plane after a deadly crash that left five people dead, moments after emergency radio traffic recorded crews warning dispatchers, “The plane is on fire,” as they rushed toward the wreckage.
The Boeing 767 freighter, which had departed Puerto Rico shortly before 11:45 a.m. local time Sunday, overshot the runway at Miami International Airport before slamming into several vehicles and eventually coming to a stop.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded immediately, with the first crews reaching the crash site within 30 seconds of the initial call, officials said.
“The plane is on fire!” one firefighter told dispatchers in Broadcastify audio first obtained by the Miami Herald.
“The plane is on fire. Put your game face on, guys,” the firefighter added as responders prepared to confront the burning aircraft.
Video that later circulated online showed the massive jet skidding across the airport grounds, with vivid orange flames bursting from its right engine before it came to rest.
Footage obtained by Reuters showed firefighters placing a ladder against a cockpit window, with one responder then climbing into the aircraft as crews worked urgently at the scene.
Miami-Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said the pilot and co-pilot, whose names have not been released, were trapped inside the cockpit after the crash.
At least two people were trapped in cars that the 32-year-old plane, which was converted into a freighter in 2015, had struck.
Three of the five people injured were in a critical condition, Jadallah said. The victims are yet to be identified.
The plane’s tail was tilting up into the air and fire crews swarmed the back of the scorched jet.
Some 60 MDFR units of 200 firefighters raced to the scene.
Foam was used to put out the flames and crews had to deal with a fuel leak.
The jet’s left engine was still running, which made it dangerous for rescuers to enter the jet amid the risk of toxic gases or explosion.
Pilots couldn’t turn the engine off because they needed to ”energize” the plane. Power may have been needed for communication systems or to unlock doors for example.
Prime Air Flight 7598, which was operated by 21Air, landed in Miami just before 2 p.m. Sunday and was traveling at 129mph when it overshot the airport’s runway 30, which is 9,000 feet long.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated – but it has since emerged that the runways at Miami airport were not fitted with what is known as an Engineered Materials Arresting System.
The EMAS, which is designed for aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds, is a type of crushable concrete that helps bring planes which overshoot the runway to a stop.
It’s not mandatory for airports to install an EMAS – despite being recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Miami airport officials were not required to install the system because it has a runway safety area, WPLG reported in February.
Key West, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale are just some of the Floridian airports that have EMAS installed.
The crash sparked widespread disruption, with more than 160 flights canceled and around 325 delayed.
Scores of travelers were trying to catch flights for the Labor Day weekend.
“This airport is packed,” Lisa Walker, who lives in Hurley, Mississippi, told the Times.
“Some people are being told it will be Tuesday before they can even get a flight.”
Witnesses who live near Miami airport recalled how an unfamiliar acrid stench had filled the air.
“It didn’t smell like when the Everglades are burning,” Beth Tilman, 64, said.
“It wasn’t trees burning. It wasn’t mangroves burning. It was some other odor that I, honestly, had never smelled before.”
Sunday’s plane crash came 29 years after a Fine Air Flight 101, which was bound for Las Américas International Airport in the Dominican Republic, crashed almost immediately after takeoff at Miami airport, killing five.
