Widow Sues Amazon After Miami Cargo Plane Crash Killed Five as NTSB Reveals Speed Warnings

The widow of a man killed when an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport has filed the first wrongful death lawsuit over the crash, alleging pilot errors and other failures contributed to the accident that killed five people as federal investigators revealed one pilot repeatedly warned the aircraft was traveling too fast before touchdown.

Yaraisi Santiso Morejon filed the lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of her late husband, 53-year-old Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo. Naranjo was driving a van carrying airport cleaning workers when the Boeing 767 struck the vehicle on Sept. 6, killing him and four others.

Newly released cockpit recorder information shows one of the pilots repeatedly warned that the aircraft was traveling too fast in the final minutes before touchdown. Several automated cockpit warnings also sounded as 21 Air Flight 7598 approached the runway.

The plane, operated by cargo carrier 21 Air for Amazon Prime Air, was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it landed on Runway 30 shortly before 2 p.m. The aircraft traveled roughly 1,300 feet beyond the runway before striking vehicles on and near airport property.

The jet first struck a van carrying seven employees of Professional Ocean Service Corp., an airline cleaning contractor. Naranjo and four other workers were killed, while two people in the van survived with serious injuries.

The runaway aircraft also struck another vehicle, leaving five people injured, including three who suffered critical injuries. Both pilots were hospitalized after the crash and were later released.

Morejon’s lawsuit, filed in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, names Amazon, 21 Air, companies connected to the aircraft’s operation and leasing, and pilots Joseph Carroll and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina as defendants.

The complaint alleges pilot error, inadequate training, and the decision to continue a high-speed landing rather than execute a go-around contributed to Naranjo’s death. The lawsuit also points to the age of the aircraft and raises questions about its braking, thrust reverser, and spoiler systems.

A go-around is a safety maneuver in which pilots abandon a landing and climb back into the air for another attempt. According to the NTSB, one pilot warned that the plane was too fast about a minute and 40 seconds before the cockpit recording ended and continued raising concerns about excessive speed.

Two “sink rate” alerts later sounded, followed by repeated “too low terrain” warnings. Flight data showed the aircraft touched down at a groundspeed of 158 knots.

About 15 seconds after touchdown, one of the pilots called for a go-around. The brakes were released, and the throttles increased to a level consistent with go-around thrust, but four seconds later the throttles returned to idle, and the brakes were reapplied.

Investigators also said recorded data showed no indication that the aircraft’s speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed before the recording ended.

The NTSB has not determined what caused the crash. Morejon’s civil case will separately ask whether the companies and pilots named in the lawsuit can be held legally responsible for her husband’s death.

“This disaster was not an unavoidable accident,” the complaint states. It alleges the crash was the “foreseeable and preventable result of multiple, concurrent failures,” including pilot error during what the lawsuit describes as a high-speed, tailwind-affected landing and a failure to execute a required go-around.

The suit also accuses Amazon and 21 Air of failing to ensure adequate pilot training, fitness, and sound decision-making. It further points to “the deployment of a 32-year-old aircraft” whose braking, thrust reverser and spoiler systems remain under investigation by the NTSB.

Those claims remain allegations and have not been established in court.

Amazon has said aircraft in its fleet are operated and maintained by FAA-certified air carriers under approved operations and maintenance programs. The company expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said it is cooperating with the NTSB and other investigating authorities. 21 Air has also said it is cooperating with federal and local investigators.

Morejon is represented by Morgan & Morgan. Firm founder John Morgan said, “Our hearts go out to Yaraisi and her family, as well as all those who were impacted by what we believe was a preventable tragedy.”

“No one should lose their loved one this way, and the filing of this lawsuit is just the beginning of our fight to secure justice and accountability for Mr. Naranjo’s death,” Morgan added.

Pushing back against suggestions that the collision was simply a freak accident, Morgan said his team had already uncovered what it believes points to “a series of failures by the people flying the plane, the companies that put it in the air, and the systems that were supposed to prevent this exact kind of tragedy.”

The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $50,000. The amount stated in the complaint does not establish the full value of damages Morejon may ultimately seek or recover.

The NTSB investigation into Flight 7598 remains open as investigators continue examining cockpit recordings, flight data, aircraft systems, and the crew’s actions leading up to the deadly runway overrun.