Na heavy thing don happen for Miami International Airport on Sunday. One Amazon cargo plane wey dem call Boeing 767-300, wey dey operated by 21 Air for Amazon.com, comot for runway and crash, e kill five pipo for ground. Di plane bin overrun runway 12/30 and drag go beyond di end, e hit one Ford Econoline van and one Toyota Corolla Cross. All di five pipo wey die na inside those vehicles.
New video wey Olvin Henriquez capture show di pilot wey jump comot from di cockpit afta di crash. Henriquez bin dey with im family, including im four-month-old pikin, wen dem pass di scene. For im video, you go see thick black smoke dey fly up, and di pilot just jump out of di cockpit door, dey run for hin life as di plane quickly catch fire. Henriquez tok say e bin shock to witness all of dat, and im family quickly turn dia car round because dem fear di plane go explode.
Five pipo bin injured for di crash, including di two pilots. Dem don release from hospital already. Henriquez tok say e no hear di plane dragging along di ground, even though dem bin close. Before dem know am, di plane don engulf for flame and di road don spoil. E say e be dramatic event wey make dem shock.
Now question dey fly because many pipo dey ask why MIA no get one special runway safety feature wey dem call Engineered Materials Arresting System, or EMAS. Jennifer Homendy, wey be chairwoman of National Transportation Safety Board, tok for press briefing Monday say 72 US airports get EMAS, but Miami International Airport no dey among dem. EMAS na crushable, lightweight material wey dem put at di end of runway, e fit slow down plane for emergency.
Di Federal Aviation Administration say EMAS don stop 26 aircraft wey overrun runway since 1999. Most airports dey install EMAS wen dem no fit meet di runway safety area standards wey FAA give—wey be 250 feet for each side of di runway center and 1,000 feet from di end of di runway. But MIA runways don meet those standards, including di runway wey dem use for Sunday crash. MIA tok say:
“Runway 12/30 at Miami International Airport has di full 1,000-foot Runway Safety Area mandated by di FAA,” na so one statement from airport tok Monday night. “Engineered Materials Arresting Systems, or EMAS, na sometin wey dem generally use for airports where space constraints no allow full safety area. No US airport get EMAS at runway end wey also get di full, unobstructed 1,000-foot safety area. EMAS na alternative, no be additional layer on top of one.”
Di airport still tok say dem dey do comprehensive FAA safety inspection every year, and dem don consistently meet federal airfield safety requirements. But media no stop dey ask because Homendy tok say di investigation go include di EMAS question. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, when dem ask am, tok say, “We’ve learned about dat. We know say e no be requirement under FAA regulations, but we dey interested to learn more. So we fit do everything possible for safety.”
Homendy tok say di cargo plane ramble over 1,300 feet beyond di runway end. Dem dey investigate wetin cause di overrun. She tok say EMAS question go be key part of investigation. Meantime, di video wey Henriquez take dey serve as reminder of how dangerous dis crash bin be, as dem dey continue to find out wetin exactly happen for dat Sunday afternoon.
