‘That could have been me’: Witness recalls near-miss as Amazon cargo plane crash kills five in Miami
An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport, killing five people and injuring five others, with a witness describing how a red light may have saved her life.
MIAMI —
An Amazon cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, crossing a main road and slamming into vehicles, killing five people and injuring five others, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB said the five fatalities were individuals in vehicles struck by the plane, not passengers onboard.
Witness Grace Mercado, who was driving near the airport with her fiancé, described the terrifying moment they saw the crash unfold.
“The black smoke everywhere, looking at it, it’s crazy, honestly,” Mercado said.
Grace Mercado
An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport, killing five people and injuring five others, with a witness describing how a red light may have saved her life.
Mercado filmed the aftermath and said the impact of the crash caused her car to shake.
“The windows and everything, that’s why we were disoriented and everything, and then he goes, ‘Is that a plane crashing?'” she said.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy provided details about the plane’s route and the crash.
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“It went from Cincinnati to Miami, Miami to San Juan, and San Juan back to Miami,” Homendy said. “It overran runway three-zero on landing, struck navigational aids and equipment, then impacted a 2012 white Ford Econoline van.”
The NTSB said the plane also hit a Toyota driving along NW 67th Avenue.
Mercado reflected on how close she and her fiancé came to being involved in the tragedy.
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She said a red traffic light at an intersection just a few yards away from the crash site stopped their car moments before the plane came down.
“It’s crazy how things align. If it wasn’t for that delay — because it was a small delay — that could have been us, that could have been me,” Mercado said.