The widow of a man killed when an Amazon cargo jet overran a runway at Miami International Airport has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Amazon and its aviation partners, alleging pilot error, an unairworthy aircraft, and a pattern of suppressed safety complaints.
Yaraisi Santiso Morejon lost her husband, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, when the Boeing 767-300 plowed past the end of the runway on a Sunday afternoon, smashed through perimeter fencing, and struck two vehicles before erupting in flames. Five people died. Five more were injured. The lawsuit names Amazon, flight operator 21 Air, aircraft owner Atlas Air, Captain Joseph Carroll, 55, and co-pilot Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, as defendants.
The complaint, first reported by Fox Business, lays out a cascade of failures that the widow says made the crash inevitable, not accidental. The NTSB, meanwhile, has confirmed that key braking systems aboard the jet were never deployed during landing, a finding that aligns with the lawsuit's central claim: the crew lost control of an approach that should have been abandoned long before the plane touched down.
The lawsuit's technical allegations are specific. The Boeing 767 landed more than 40 knots, roughly 46 miles per hour, faster than the recommended approach speed. It touched down approximately 4,000 feet beyond the target zone on the runway. The pilots failed to perform a proper nose-flare maneuver, the standard technique that raises the aircraft's nose to slow it before the wheels hit pavement.
When the approach became unstable, the complaint alleges, neither pilot executed a mandatory go-around or declared an emergency. The jet overran the runway by about 1,300 feet and plowed through perimeter fencing.
The NTSB's own preliminary findings back up part of that account. Investigators said on Tuesday that recorded data recovered from the wreckage showed the aircraft's speed brakes and thrust reversers, two critical systems designed to slow a jet after touchdown, were never deployed during the landing sequence. The agency has not released an official cause, and investigators said they are still working to determine what happened.
Federal investigators dispatched to Miami are examining whether the pilots correctly calculated stopping distance, along with aircraft speed, braking performance, weather, and the mechanical condition of the jet. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy led the team.
The flight, identified as Prime Air Flight 7598, departed from Luis Muñoz MarÃn International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and arrived at Miami International Airport at approximately 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. The lawsuit alleges that an active thunderstorm was in the area at the time of the approach, conditions the complaint characterizes as hazardous.
All five victims, Rolando Aleman Leon, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, Julio C. Pineda, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, were inside vehicles struck by the plane after it left the runway, Fox News reported. Both pilots survived. Carroll and Silva Molina were certified to fly Boeing 767 aircraft.
Miami Fire Rescue Chief Raied Jadallah described the scene as "a very complex situation," noting that the plane "swiped several vehicles and trapped people inside who had to be extricated," Breitbart reported. Three of the injured were in critical condition; two others were hospitalized with less severe injuries, according to the Washington Examiner.
Eyewitness Olvin Henriquez, who watched the crash unfold, described the aftermath:
"It was shocking to witness all of that. Then, unexpectedly, we saw the pilot jump out of the cockpit door and run for his life as the plane rapidly burst into flames."
Another witness, Abraham Altamar, encountered one of the pilots shortly after the crash. Altamar said the pilot was "shaking and, and a little injured in his forehead and his hand." The pilot reportedly told Altamar's wife over the phone: "My career is over."
The complaint goes beyond pilot error. It accuses 21 Air, the carrier that operated the flight, of inadequately training its crews, providing poor supervision, and imposing demanding flight schedules that pushed crews to fly without proper rest. Former employees had raised safety complaints, the lawsuit alleges, but those complaints were ignored or suppressed.
The suit also alleges that 21 Air allowed pilots with limited English skills to fly, a concern in an industry where English is the international standard for air traffic communications. Aircraft remained in service despite what the complaint calls ongoing problems.
Atlas Air, the company that owned the Boeing 767, faces its own set of allegations. The complaint claims Atlas supplied a 32-year-old aircraft and failed to ensure that critical stopping systems were fully operational and safe. Amazon, for its part, is accused of failing to adequately oversee the operations conducted on its behalf.
Morejon was direct in her characterization of the crash:
"This disaster was not an unavoidable accident."
Amazon pushed back in a statement to Fox Business, saying that "every jet operated on its behalf was flown by an FAA-certified air carrier under FAA-approved operations and maintenance programs." The company described the use of independent air carriers as "standard practice in commercial aviation," comparing its arrangement to the way major U.S. and foreign passenger airlines contract with independent carriers to operate flights under their brand.
Amazon also pointed to FAA oversight, stating that the agency "actively oversees each carrier's programs and any changes are individually reviewed and approved by the FAA." Those programs, Amazon said, require "licensed individuals to perform regulated activities, recurrent training of licensed personnel, and routine aircraft inspections and maintenance at regular intervals."
An Amazon spokesperson separately said the company was "heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives" and was working with investigators and its operators on the matter.
21 Air offered condolences but did not address the lawsuit's specific allegations. "Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives," the company said. "Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available."
The NTSB investigation remains in its early stages. Investigators have not explained why the speed brakes and thrust reversers went unused, or what data source, flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, or both, yielded that finding. The agency has not confirmed or denied the weather conditions alleged in the complaint.
Several questions remain open. The specific court where the lawsuit was filed and its docket number have not been disclosed. Atlas Air has not publicly responded to the allegations. Neither pilot has issued a public statement. The identities and conditions of all five injured individuals beyond the two pilots have not been fully detailed.
Amazon's defense rests on a familiar corporate structure: the work was contracted out, the contractors were FAA-certified, and the FAA was in charge of oversight. That framing may satisfy regulators. Whether it satisfies a jury, or the families of five people who were on the ground, in their vehicles, when a 32-year-old cargo jet came through the fence, is a different question entirely.
When companies outsource the flying but keep the brand, they don't get to outsource the accountability.