Investigation Summary
The accident occurred during a domestic cargo flight from San Juan to Miami. Preliminary Flight Data Recorder (FDR) analysis indicates the aircraft was traveling at a groundspeed of 160 knots at touchdown. Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) data revealed that a pilot cautioned the other pilot about excessive speed multiple times during the final approach. There was no indication in the recorded FDR data that speed brakes or thrust reversers were deployed during the landing sequence. Approximately 15 seconds after touchdown, a pilot called for a go-around and throttles were increased to go-around thrust values with roughly 930 feet of runway remaining. However, four seconds later, throttles were reduced to idle and brakes were reapplied as the aircraft had only 415 feet of runway left. The aircraft exited the paved surface at 113 knots. On the ground, the 767 impacted a Ford Econoline van on an airport perimeter road, resulting in five fatalities and two serious injuries among the van's seven occupants. It then crossed NW 67th Avenue, striking a Toyota Corolla Cross and seriously injuring its driver, before stopping 1,200 feet past the runway end.
Video Analysis
NTSB B-Roll - Miami, Florida, Boeing 767 Cargo Plane Runway Excursion Accident — Official NTSB footage of the accident site and wreckage of 21 Air flight 7598 at Miami International Airport.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Hired by 21 Air in April 2026; received 767 type rating May 18, 2026.
First Officer
Hired by 21 Air in February 2025; received 767 type rating April 2, 2025.
Systems & Failure Modes
Thrust Reversers
Mechanical systems on the engines used to redirect thrust forward to assist in deceleration; FDR data showed these were not deployed during the accident sequence.
Speed Brakes
Flight control surfaces on the wings used to increase drag and reduce lift; the speed brake lever was found in the stowed position in the wreckage.
Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS)
A bed of crushable concrete at the end of a runway designed to safely stop overrunning aircraft; no EMAS was installed at the end of runway 30 at MIA.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Boeing 767-33A converted from a passenger to freighter configuration in 2016.
- 02Five people on the ground were killed when the aircraft struck a passenger van during the excursion.
- 03FDR data indicates that speed brakes and thrust reversers were not used during the landing rollout.
- 04The local controller did not issue wind information to flight 7598, which is required when a tailwind component exists.
- 05The Captain had 150 hours of experience on the Boeing 767 at the time of the accident.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the ntsb final report.