All 5 Dead in Miami Airport Cargo Jet Crash Were Plane-Cleaning Van Workers

MIAMI (AP) — Every one of the five people who died when an Amazon cargo jet overshot the runway at Miami International Airport was riding in a van used to transport aircraft cleaning crews, authorities confirmed. The jet ran off the end of the runway during landing on Sunday, striking the van on airport grounds before tearing through a fence and colliding with an SUV on a nearby city street. In addition to the five fatalities, five more people were hurt in the crash. The aircraft's pilot and co-pilot have since been discharged from the hospital, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz announced Tuesday. Two survivors remain in critical condition, while a third is listed as stable. Cordero-Stutz said the victims who died ranged in age from 47 to 75. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. Among the key questions investigators are examining is why the airport did not have a system in place designed to slow and stop aircraft that overshoot runways. Miami International Airport is not among the 120 U.S. airports equipped with lightweight, crushable material at runway ends — a technology the Federal Aviation Administration says has saved roughly 500 lives. Aviation experts noted that even without such a system, Miami's airport appears to meet federal standards because it maintains a 1,000-foot (305-meter) safety buffer beyond its runways. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Monday that her agency's mission is to prevent disasters like this one, but runway overruns keep occurring despite the board's past recommendations to install safety systems.