What we know about an Amazon cargo plane careening off a Miami runway, killing at least 5

(CNN) — As it started its descent under dark clouds over Miami International Airport, it was hard to tell from a distance there were any problems with the Boeing 767-300 bearing Amazon’s “Smile” logo on the tail fin.

But as the plane got closer to touchdown Sunday, something clearly was wrong.

The jet seemed to hover, video posted to social media showed, going well beyond the usual landing zone for Runway 30. But even after two of its landing gear made it to the ground, the left rear gear continued to bounce along the runway.

By the time it reached the runway’s end, the plane was still going nearly 130 miles per hour, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed.

It barreled across a small grassy patch, then through a chain-link fence with razor wire. Concrete barriers designed to keep cars out of the secure area crumbled as the jet, weighing more than 100 tons, headed straight for a four-lane road.

Slicing across the pavement, the aircraft struck several vehicles – including one left flipped onto its side and twisted into an arc not unlike the tail fin logo – before sliding to a fiery stop just shy of a parking lot filled with dozens of cars.

“Plane’s on fire!” a first responder soon shouted on an emergency radio channel. “Put your game faces on.”

At least five people died and five were injured, though the victims’ location during the crash and the condition of the pilots rescued from the cockpit still isn’t clear. The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to hold a news conference Monday on its investigation.

The catastrophe left Miami’s airport operating with just two of its normal four runways on a busy Labor Day and raised questions about whether the facility needs better equipment to prevent an overshooting aircraft from leaving airport property.

Here’s what we know so far about the incident.

How the crash unfolded

The cargo plane tried to land around 2 p.m. ET Sunday on a runway more than 9,000 feet long. But the jet rose above the normal path aircraft take on their approach to Runway 30 before dropping altitude to return back into proper position, tracking data from Flightradar24 showed.

The plane had passed through a developing thunderstorm as it approached the airport, one of several pop-up storms in the area, tracking data appeared to show.

During the landing, the direction of the wind suddenly changed, said David Soucie, a CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, giving Flight 7598 a tailwind that may have made it more difficult to slow down.

“You’re picking up speed instead of bleeding speed off at that point,” Soucie said.

The pilots did not inform air traffic controllers of any problems with the plane prior to landing, air traffic control audio indicated.

The plane landed almost parallel to the ground instead of with the standard “flare” maneuver, in which the nose lifts at the last moment so the rear landing gear touches the ground first, social media video showed.

As the jet came to rest near the parking lot past the runway, a fire erupted around its crumpled starboard engine – on the right when facing forward – social media video showed.

Flames and thick black smoke rose from the aircraft as rescue crews rushed in to douse it with fire retardant. Over 60 fire rescue units and some 200 firefighters responded, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Raied “Ray” Jadallah said Sunday during a news conference.

The status of the victims

Five people were killed, Jadallah said. Five others were injured, with three taken to a trauma center in critical condition.

Rescue workers used a ladder to access the plane’s interior through a cockpit window, social media video showed. Several victims trapped in vehicles struck by the plane were extracted by firefighters, Jadallah said.

It’s not yet clear whether those killed were in the plane, in the vehicles struck during the crash or elsewhere.

The type of plane involved

The plane was a 32-year-old Boeing 767 en route from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami.

It was operated by 21 Air, a cargo carrier headquartered in North Carolina with an operations center in Miami. 21 Air works for several companies and is one of nine flight vendors for Amazon Air, which operates more than 250 carriers daily to ship customer packages.

“We’re heartbroken to learn that five people lost their lives in today’s incident at Miami International Airport,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel told CNN in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating loss.”

How this is affecting travel

The crash scene and cleanup are causing delays. Flights headed to the South Florida hub were expected to be an average of 2 1/2 hours late, the Federal Aviation Administration advised at 7 a.m.

Two of the airport’s four runways are closed for most of Monday, an FAA notice to pilots stated. Runway 30, where the Amazon Boeing 767 tried to land, as well as Runway 26L, just north of it, are closed until 7 p.m. ET.

As of 10 a.m., 65 flights in or out of Miami were canceled and about 140 delayed, tracking site FlightAware reported.

Questions about safety measures

Runway excursions – when airplanes go off the runway – are the No. 1 incident involving airplanes worldwide, according to data from the International Air Transport Association.

While the cause of Sunday’s crash is still under investigation, Miami International Airport lacks a key safety feature that might have prevented the aircraft from overrunning the airport property and reaching a roadway, aviation experts said.

The Engineered Material Arresting System – or EMAS – places a series of concrete pads at the end of a runway. Although they look solid, the lightweight material is designed to be crushed under the weight of an airplane.

“When the airplane goes off the end of the runway, the wheels crunch into it. The plane is stopped,” said Mary Schiavo, a CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general of the Department of Transportation.

“An airport this surrounded by population, they need an arrestor bed system at the end of these runways to stop this from happening again,” she said.

CNN has reached out to the FAA and the airport for comment.

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CNN’s Pete Muntean, Aaron Cooper, Graham Hurley and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.