The Miami plane crash that killed five people on September 6, 2026, is putting renewed attention on one of the shortest but most demanding phases of a flight: landing. An Amazon Prime Air-branded Boeing 767 cargo aircraft overran Runway 30 while landing at Miami International Airport, travelled roughly 1,300 feet beyond the runway and struck two vehicles.

All five people killed were inside a van used to transport aircraft-cleaning workers. Five other people were injured. The pilot and co-pilot survived and have since been released from hospital.

The aircraft was not operated directly by Amazon. It was a Boeing 767-33A operated by 21 Air LLC for Amazon's Prime Air network and was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a full investigation. What investigators are now finding makes the accident particularly important. Preliminary flight-recorder data suggests the crew may have considered abandoning the landing after the aircraft had already touched down.

Miami Plane Crash: What Happened During the Landing?

21 Air Flight 7598 was landing shortly before 2 PM local time when it overran Runway 30. The aircraft crossed beyond the airport boundary, struck the cleaning van, passed through a perimeter fence and hit another vehicle on a nearby road before coming to rest and catching fire. The NTSB said the wreckage extended about 1,300 feet beyond the runway.

Initial reports focused heavily on whether the aircraft landed too far down the runway. But data released by investigators on September 9 provides a more detailed picture. According to Reuters, flight data indicates the Boeing 767 touched down at high speed. The pilots then increased the throttles, apparently considering a go-around, before reducing them back to idle and applying the brakes again.

Investigators also said the aircraft's speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed during the landing sequence. That does not establish why the crash happened. The NTSB still has to determine whether the sequence involved weather, aircraft systems, crew decision-making, runway conditions or a combination of factors.

Why the Possible Go-Around Matters

A go-around is a normal aviation procedure. If pilots determine that an approach or airplane landing is unstable, unsafe or unlikely to leave sufficient runway for stopping, they can increase power, climb away and make another approach. The latest data suggests Flight 7598's pilots may have considered doing that after touchdown. Reuters reported that the throttles were increased before the attempt was apparently abandoned and braking resumed.

Investigators will now need to understand why. A go-around initiated after the wheels have already touched the runway is a very different manoeuvre from one initiated during approach. The aircraft is already transitioning from flight to ground braking, while spoilers, wheel brakes, engine thrust and available runway distance all become critical. That makes the precise cockpit timeline one of the most important unanswered questions in the investigation.

Why Landing Produces So Many Fatal Aircraft Accidents

The broader statistics explain why the case matters. Boeing's 2025 Statistical Summary found that 35% of fatal commercial jet accidents between 2016 and 2025 occurred during landing. Yet the landing phase represents only about 1% of the flight time on a typical 1.5-hour journey. By comparison, cruise occupies about 57% of flight time but accounts for around 10% of fatal accidents.

That does not mean passengers should fear every landing. Commercial aviation remains extremely safe. Instead, the numbers show how many variables have to be controlled within a very short period near the ground. Pilots must simultaneously manage:

• Airspeed
• Descent rate
• Approach angle
• Wind
• Visibility
• Runway condition
• Aircraft configuration
• Touchdown position
• Braking performance
• Traffic instructions

There is far less time and altitude available to correct a problem than during cruise.

Why Speed and Touchdown Point Matter

Aircraft carry enormous kinetic energy during landing. And kinetic energy increases with the square of speed. That means even a relatively small increase in touchdown speed can create a disproportionately larger amount of energy that brakes, aerodynamic drag and reverse thrust must dissipate before the runway ends. Touching down late creates another problem.

Every metre an aircraft spends floating above the runway is a metre it no longer has available for deceleration.

That combination — excessive speed and reduced stopping distance — is one reason unstable approaches are treated so seriously. But in the Miami plane crash, investigators have not yet determined exactly why the aircraft touched down as it did or why the normal deceleration systems were not fully deployed.

What Is a Runway Excursion?

A runway excursion occurs when an aircraft leaves the runway surface during takeoff or landing, either by overrunning the end or veering off the side. IATA describes runway excursions as one of the aviation industry's most common accident categories. Between 2015 and 2024, IATA recorded:

• 104 runway excursion accidents
• Around 21% of all accidents during the period
• Eight fatal excursions
• 80 onboard fatalities
• Eight additional fatalities outside the aircraft

About 45% of those excursions were runway overruns. So while most excursions do not become mass-fatality accidents, their frequency keeps them high on aviation regulators' safety agendas.

What About Miami's Runway Safety System?

Another issue under investigation is what existed beyond Runway 30. Some American airports use an Engineered Materials Arresting System, or EMAS. It consists of crushable material installed beyond the runway. An overrunning aircraft's wheels sink into the material, absorbing energy and helping bring the aircraft to a stop. Miami International did not have an EMAS installation at the end involved in Sunday's crash. However, that does not automatically mean the airport violated FAA regulations. Reports indicate the airport complied with applicable runway-safety requirements. The NTSB is examining whether additional protection could nevertheless have reduced the consequences of the overrun.

That distinction is important. The absence of EMAS is a safety question being investigated, not yet an established cause of the deaths.

What Role Did Air Traffic Control Play?

Investigators will also examine air traffic control communications. ATC can provide pilots with wind information, runway assignments and traffic instructions, but the final decision to continue or abandon an approach rests with the flight crew. The NTSB investigation is looking at weather, aircraft performance, crew training, operational procedures and ATC information as part of the complete sequence. Thunderstorms and gusty conditions were reported around Miami at the time. But again, weather has not been identified as the cause.

Why This Matters for Indian Aviation

The lesson for India is not that the same accident is about to happen here. It is that runway excursion prevention is already a recognised Indian aviation-safety priority. In an official paper submitted to ICAO, India's DGCA noted that runway excursions are particularly significant during the monsoon season. DGCA data covering scheduled commercial operations between 2009 and 2022 found that 41% of accidents during that period involved runway excursions.

One-third of those accidents involved unstable approaches that were continued to landing. That is why India's monsoon procedures place heavy emphasis on stabilised approaches, wet-runway performance and go-around decisions. DGCA has previously encouraged a non-punitive approach to go-arounds so pilots do not feel pressure to continue an unsafe landing simply because another approach will cost time or fuel.

India Has Already Seen the Consequences

India's aviation history provides painful examples. At Kozhikode in August 2020, an Air India Express Boeing 737 overran a tabletop runway during heavy rain and broke apart, killing 21 people. The investigation concluded that the captain continued an unstable approach and landed well beyond the normal touchdown area despite a call to go around. Ten years earlier, another Air India Express aircraft overran the tabletop runway at Mangaluru, killing 158 people.

These accidents are different from Miami and should not be treated as direct parallels. But they demonstrate why stabilised approaches, timely go-arounds and runway safety remain so heavily emphasised by regulators.

What Happens Next?

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will allow investigators to reconstruct the final approach second by second. The pilots' interviews will also be crucial. Investigators will examine what the crew saw, what they understood about the weather and runway conditions, why the aircraft remained on the approach, and why the apparent go-around attempt began and then stopped. They will also study the aircraft's braking systems, speed brakes, thrust reversers, maintenance history and performance.

A final NTSB investigation can take a year or longer. Until that work is complete, Sunday's tragedy should not be reduced to one presumed mistake. What is already clear is why landing remains such an important focus of global aviation safety. It lasts only minutes.

But during those minutes, speed, height, runway length, weather, aircraft systems and human decisions all have to come together within a remarkably small margin. That is what makes the airplane landing phase short — but demanding.