Five contract cleaning crew members killed as Amazon-branded cargo plane overruns runway at Miami International Airport
An airline cleaning company is mourning the loss of five employees who were identified as those killed on Sunday when an Amazon-branded cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport, hitting the company’s van and a passenger SUV.
The deceased were Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in a news conference Tuesday. They were all in the van, owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a contract cleaning company for airline companies.
Five others were injured and taken to the hospital, officials said. Eugenio Corredor, 79, and Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, remain in critical condition, while Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres, 36, is stable.
The two pilots of the Boeing 767-300 aircraft, Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, and Joseph Carol, 55, were treated and released.
The cleaning company expressed in a statement Tuesday that it was “heartbroken” by the deaths.
“Our employees are far more than the people who work beside us each day, they are family, and they are deeply loved,” read the statement. “Our hearts and prayers are with every employee and every family whose lives have been forever changed. We grieve with those who lost a loved one and pray for the healing and recovery of those who were injured.”
A neighbor of Pineda, who lived in Hialeah, remembered him as jovial and kind, saying there would be “lots of music, lots of fun” when his children visited him.
“He was someone who was always laughing and telling stories,” said Alberto Leandro. “You’d see him and he’d crack a joke in the elevator.”
Leandro mentioned that Pineda was known as “El mago” — “The Magician” — because he was always doing magic tricks.
Neighbor Elena Forte said Pineda was originally from Havana, Cuba. She got to know Pineda after he introduced himself and offered her help if she ever needed anything.
“He was always calm, would say hello, and was always laughing,” she said. “He was a really good person.”
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office stated that the National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash.
The aircraft was on its third trip that day when it overran the runway during landing, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Monday. Earlier Sunday, the plane flew from Cincinnati to Miami, then from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It was returning from San Juan when it crashed.
Homendy said that upon landing back in Miami, the plane overran the runway and struck navigational aids and equipment before hitting the cleaning company’s Ford van that was transporting the crew inside the airport.
The plane then smashed through a perimeter fence and hit a Toyota SUV traveling on Northwest 67th Avenue outside the airport. The aircraft continued into the grass and hit a fence line separating an area where Tesla robotaxis were stationed, Homendy said.
She described the scene as “devastating” and said the van had been “torn apart.”
Cellphone video obtained by NBC South Florida showed someone jumping out of the plane after the crash. A photo sent to NBC News showed a crew member being taken away on a gurney at the airport.
An Amazon spokesperson previously said that the flight was operated by 21 Air.
Keith Winters, 21 Air’s CEO, said in a message on its website that the company is cooperating with federal investigators and offered condolences to the victims’ families.
Homendy said it was too early to release much information about the factors that contributed to the crash, but noted the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered.
One of Leon’s neighbors mentioned he was very kind and would help her by taking her to appointments. A family member said Leon and his co-workers were at the end of their shift when the crash occurred. The family member also mentioned that Leon’s son was devastated.
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