Amazon Prime Air pilot repeatedly warned of excessive speed before Miami crash that killed five

A pilot aboard the Amazon Prime Air cargo plane that crashed in Miami warned repeatedly that the aircraft was flying "too fast" more than a minute before it touched down on the runway, yet continued the approach without a clear response from the other pilot, according to cockpit recordings released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The automated warning systems in the cockpit also blared multiple alerts as the Boeing 767 descended dangerously, but the crew did not abort the landing. The crash on Sunday killed five people and injured another five.

Descent warnings ignored

The 32-year-old Boeing 767, operated by 21 Air, overran the runway by approximately 396 metres (1,300 feet) before crashing into two vehicles on the ground.

According to the investigative update released on Wednesday, the cockpit voice recorder captured the pilot commenting on the plane's excessive speed while automated warnings sounded, but the other pilot gave no clear verbal response. The NTSB did not identify which speaker was the captain or first officer.

Before touchdown, the cockpit warning system issued "sink rate sink rate" alerts twice as the aircraft plummeted 400 feet in just four seconds. This was followed by five "too low terrain" warnings.

Why no go-around?

"The big question is, why did they continue their approach?" said Anthony Brickhouse, an aerospace safety consultant. "They had several cues that their approach was not stable, but they continued instead of going around".

The NTSB's findings raise questions about crew communication and decision-making during the final moments before the fatal crash.

Source: South China Morning Post