NTSB Releases Preliminary Cockpit Data From Fatal Miami Cargo-Plane Crash
Preliminary cockpit-voice and flight-data recorder information released Sept. 9 by the National Transportation Safety Board provides the clearest official timeline yet of the fatal Sept. 6 runway overrun involving 21 Air Flight 7598 at Miami International Airport.
The Boeing 767-33A cargo aircraft, operating from San Juan, Puerto Rico, overran the end of Runway 30 while landing at Miami International Airport. The NTSB said it recovered and successfully read both recorders, but emphasized that the information is preliminary and subject to change.
The crash killed five people on the ground, according to the Associated Press. The NTSB has not issued a final explanation for what caused the overrun.
What the cockpit recorder shows
The NTSB said investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder and transported them to the agency’s Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The cockpit recorder contained more than two hours of audio, while the flight data recorder contained about 54 hours of data across more than 400 parameters.
During the approach, one pilot cautioned that the aircraft was too fast after a call to set the flaps to 20 degrees. That exchange occurred about 1 minute and 42 seconds before the end of the cockpit recording. The NTSB said additional comments about excessive speed continued through the remainder of the recording, but there was no consistent verbal response to those comments.
The cockpit recording also captured automated warnings including “sink rate” and “too low terrain.” The NTSB described the timing and descriptions as preliminary.
The final recorded runway sequence
The flight-data recorder showed the nose and right main landing gear touching down at a groundspeed of 158 knots. The brakes were applied at 146 knots, and the left main landing gear touched down at 134 knots.
Fifteen seconds before the end of the cockpit recording, a pilot called for a go-around. In the flight-data recording, the brakes were released at 120 knots and the throttles were increased to a setting consistent with go-around thrust. The NTSB cautioned that the cockpit-voice and flight-data recordings were not precisely synchronized.
About 10 seconds after the go-around call, the cockpit recording captured sounds similar to the aircraft departing the paved surface. The flight-data recorder then showed the throttles reduced to idle power and the brakes reapplied. The final recorded groundspeed was 65 knots.
The NTSB said the recorded data showed no indication that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed before the flight-data recording ended. The agency did not say why those systems were not recorded as deployed.
What remains unknown
The preliminary recorder information does not establish a final cause or probable cause for the crash. The NTSB investigation remains ongoing, and the agency said the findings may change as investigators review the recordings and other evidence.
The NTSB plans to convene a cockpit-voice-recorder group at its Washington headquarters to review the accident recording and produce a written transcript. That work, along with additional examination of the aircraft, runway and other evidence, could revise the current timeline or its interpretation.
Miami airport impact
The crash temporarily halted flights at Miami International Airport and continued to affect operations into Sept. 7, according to AP reporting. Two of the airport’s four runways remained closed the following day. The airport reported 160 cancellations and more than 300 delays on Sept. 6, followed by 69 additional cancellations through the afternoon of Sept. 7.
AP reported that the five people killed were inside a van carrying seven people from an airport cleaning company. Officials cited by AP said three people were critically injured and two others were hospitalized with less serious injuries.
The NTSB’s recorder update adds detail to what happened during the approach and the aircraft’s last recorded seconds on Runway 30. It does not determine why the overrun occurred. Further findings, corrections or revisions may change the understanding of the crash.
Sources
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