Five Dead After 767 Crashes in Miami
September 6, 2026
Five people were killed on Sunday when a Boeing 767 freighter crashed off the end of a runway in Miami, colliding with several vehicles and catching fire.
Early reports indicate the plane, which had been inbound from San Juan, touched down at an unusually high speed, and roughly halfway down the runway. Why this happened is unknown. Video footage shows ominous-looking clouds and rainstorms off the approach end of the runway. Gusts and possible windshear may have played a role.
Landing speeds vary with weight, flap setting, and weather. Standard procedure is for pilots to abandon any landing should the targeted speed be exceeded by any significant amount. At this point there’s no evidence suggesting the crew attempted a go-around.
Much of the media, meanwhile, is describing the plane as an “Amazon” or “Prime Air” jet. Which it was and wasn’t.
Amazon does not own an airline or fly its own planes. It uses contractors, some of whom paint their jets in an Amazon “Prime Air” livery. (It’s an arrangement not unlike those between the major passenger carriers and their regional jet “Express” and “Connection” partners.) The 767 that crashed in Miami was flown on Amazon’s behalf by a company called 21 Air, which I’d never heard of until today.
Another company that relies on contractors is DHL, the global shipping giant. You’ll see jetliners in DHL’s distinctive red and yellow colors at airports all over the globe. These belong to a multitude of contractors; none are flown by DHL itself.
FedEx and UPS, on the other hand, own and operate their own airlines.
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ODE TO THE 767
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2 Responses to “Five Dead After 767 Crashes in Miami”
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The assertion that FedEx doesn’t own or operate an airline belies information available online. Wiki isn’t the only source, but seems to provide a synopsis of many other sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx_Express. My neighbour was a manager at FedEx until recently, and our conversations, while not centered on the topic, touched upon the FedEx fleet (given the founders’ role with the company).
That seems to be the case with the UPS air cargo fleet, too.
They (and others) are logistic companies, but appear to operate cargo fleets as part of their ambit (vs. contracting out to third party carriers). My interpretation, anyway.
Neither FedEx nor UPS operate or own airlines. They are logistics companies.