Amazon plane crash: Federal investigators probe Amazon cargo jet's fiery runway crash that killed 5 in Miami, Florida

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MIAMI -- The five people killed when an Amazon cargo jet ran off a runway at Miami International Airport were all inside a van carrying seven people from a cleaning company, and an SUV hit outside of airport property, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Monday.

Homendy called the scene of Sunday's crash "utter devastation." She didn't detail how many people were in the SUV or where the dead were located.

Homendy walked the route the Boeing 767 followed, noting tire marks from the pavement into the grass, the destroyed van carrying the cleaning crew, torn fencing, navigational equipment, and the crushed SUV outside airport property.

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The debris included vehicle air bags, equipment from the vehicles, the airplane and the airport, and "fencing everywhere," Homendy said.

"It's pretty extensive. Hard to see and I'm sure it must have been very difficult for the responders as well," Homendy said.

The airline, all told, traveled about 1,300 feet (396 meters) past the paved surface. Debris was everywhere, she said.

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"I would describe it in one word as devastating, utter devastation," Homendy said.

The van with seven people inside was "torn apart. It certainly must have been devastating," she said. The van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., an airline cleaning contractor.

Homendy said the NTSB would issue more information on Tuesday, including possibly information on speed that is confirmed by the flight data recorder.

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Federal investigators examining the crash spent Monday determining whether the plane touched down too late to stop safely.

Video of Sunday's landing appears to show the Boeing 767 remaining airborne well down the runway before touching down. Aviation experts said investigators will seek to determine exactly where the plane landed, whether it was beyond the normal touchdown zone, and why the pilots did not abandon the landing.

Investigators will also examine the plane's speed and braking, weather and wind conditions, the aircraft's mechanical condition and other factors that could have contributed to the deadly overrun.

The aircraft on Sunday flew from Cincinnati to Miami and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was returning to Miami when it overran the runway around 2 p.m. and plowed across a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses that surround the airport.

Aside from the five who died, three people were critically injured and two others were hospitalized with less severe injuries, officials said.

The crash, which sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky, trapped the pilot and copilot in the cockpit and some occupants in cars, said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah. The agency said crews also had to extricate a person who was trapped under a vehicle.

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