Boeing plane in fatal Miami crash made Amazon debut at Seattle Seafair

The Amazon cargo plane that crashed Sunday at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people and injuring five others, made its debut for the company a decade ago during a Seattle Seafair air show. Back in 2016, the Boeing 767 widebody jet freighter with the registration number N1997A was the first plane given Prime Air branding to emphasize Seattle-based Amazon's focus on its high-revenue Prime members. Amazon unveiled the plane during Seafair to promote its growing Boeing fleet. It registered the plane as N1997A because 1997 is the year Amazon went public and is a prime number, officials said at the time. Amazon was rapidly expanding its air cargo capacity a decade ago, and the plane that crashed Sunday was the 11th jet freighter to join its fleet. The company bought the plane in 2016; it had been built in 1994. Amazon and Boeing coordinated the Seafair promotion amid talks about the online commerce giant buying new planes from the jet-maker. Sunday's crash happened when the plane overran a runway around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and struck multiple vehicles. The cause was not immediately determined; it was not clear if weather, piloting or a mechanical problem had played a role. Thunderstorms and wind gusts up to 30 mph were recorded in the area at the time. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo told The Associated Press he wanted to know more about where on the runway the plane had landed. Material from The Seattle Times archives was included in this report. Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.