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Florida runway overrun kills five on ground, exposing aviation liability
Aviation analysts say the incident involved a multi party chain, from the lessor to Amazon and 21 Air, while Miami International lacked an EMAS runway arresting system.
Two fatal aviation crashes struck Florida within 24 hours, highlighting different ends of aviation risk and the way liability can be layered across policies, according to Insurance Business.
At Miami International Airport on Sunday, a Boeing 767-300 cargo jet operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon Air overran a runway, crossed the airport boundary, and struck multiple vehicles before catching fire, leaving five people dead and five others seriously injured, all on the ground, the BBC reported.
An analysis by the Aviation Law Group identified a complex chain of responsibility, with Andromeda Leasing II LLC as the registered owner and an entity affiliated with Atlas Air Worldwide, Amazon controlling and supplying the fleet but not holding its own air carrier certificate, and 21 Air holding the operating certificate and employing the crew.
Investigators will seek to determine maintenance and operational responsibilities, including who handled brake and thrust reverser components and what the lease required, while the absence of Engineered Materials Arresting System beds on the runway is already central to the probe, since Miami International does not have the system and, under current FAA rules, it was not required to. NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy called the EMAS examination a key part of the investigation, and the 767 was traveling at approximately 112 knots when it left the runway, according to TechTime.