An Amazon cargo plane that killed five people when it overshot the runway and crashed in Miami on Sunday left behind a scene of “utter devastation,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The crash spread jet fuel “everywhere” across the impact site, while a Ford van with seven people inside it was “torn apart” by the Boeing jet, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Monday in Miami.
The destruction was “hard to see,” Homendy said.
“I’m sure it must’ve been very difficult for the responders as well,” she added.
The van, struck inside the grounds of the airport, was owned by a cleaning contractor, Professional Ocean Service Corporation, the NTSB said.
The plane hit another vehicle, a Toyota Corolla SUV, after bursting through an airport fence, part of a violent crash that left the jet roughly 1,300 feet past the end of the runway surface.
The NTSB did not comment on the health status of the two-person crew flying the Boeing 737-300, but Homendy said those killed in the crash were in the two automobiles.
Officials have recovered the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders for analysis.
Interviews are being scheduled with any potential survivors of the crash and bystanders with relevant information.
A 32-person NTSB team is on site investigating the crash, and responders are working to gather perishable physical evidence, remove fuel from the crashed plane and recover victims.
The NTSB is expected to release more information and hold a press conference on Tuesday.
The agency is calling on the public to submit any relevant photos or videos of the crash.
A “key part” of the investigation will be whether an Engineered Material Arresting System, designed to stop planes that escape their runways, would’ve prevented more destruction, Homendy said.
Miami International Airport reportedly lacks such a system.
The flight, operated by contractor 21 Air, was on its third voyage of the day when it crashed.
It had previously flown from Cincinnati to Miami, then from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The crash occurred as the plane returned to Miami from San Juan.
The NTSB did not discuss any possible causes of the crash.
Video obtained by CNN shows the jet appearing to hover unusually above the runway as it flew over its landing zone, while its left rear landing gear bounced on the tarmac.
