The private operator behind the Amazon cargo plane that crashed in Miami, killing five people, had previously been accused of violating safety regulations.
21 Air, a North Carolina-based company controlled by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane, was hired by Amazon Air to operate the Boeing 767 cargo plane that crashed off a Miami runway before slamming on to vehicles on a nearby road.
According to interviews and records cited by CBS News, former employees claimed they were let go by the cargo airline for voicing safety concerns.
‘Unfortunately, 21 Air has a long-established history of safety problems,’ said Karl Seuring, a pilot with more than three decades of experience to the outlet.
Seuring filed a legal complaint claiming that when he raised concerns about safety issues to a 21 Air manager, he was told: ‘It’s not going to change.’
According to the outlet, the pilot brought his retaliatory firing case to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which rejected his complaint against 21 Air.
Seuring appealed the decision before a federal judge in 2023 in a Department of Labor tribunal, where the case is still pending.
Documents cited by CBS show that several pilots’ safety complaints regarding putting faulty planes in the air, improper rest for flight crews and staffing pilots who could not communicate safely in English were buried by 21 Air managers.
21 Air, a North Carolina-based company controlled by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane through an LLC, were the private operator behind the Amazon cargo plane that crash-landed on Sunday afternoon after it overshot the runway at Miami International Airport
The five victims were identified as Rolando Aleman, 55, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, Julio C Pineda, 75, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47
It has since been revealed that runways at Miami International Airport are not equipped with an Engineered Materials Arresting System – crushable concrete designed to bring planes that overshoot the tarmac safely to a stop. Above, the system in use at Boca Raton Airport last year
Michael Anello, Seuring’s attorney, told a judge that another 21 Air pilot, Johnny Salmonson, was pressured to make flights that defied safety regulations regarding required rest periods.
‘The management was pushing the pilots, and the result was he was retaliated against,’ Anello said.
On one occasion in April 2022, Seuring detailed during testimony how a mechanical problem caused a plane to continuously accelerate to the point where it exceeded speeds that could damage its wing flaps.
The pilot said that during the incident he felt ‘concerned for my own safety.’
He claimed in tribunal testimony that following the incident there was ‘no debrief. No discussion. Assume it didn’t happen,’ with his captain, David Norgren.
Norgren did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
The plane crashed into multiple vehicles after it overran the runway, leaving them ‘mangled’
On Monday, Jennifer Homendy, the chief executive officer of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said the jet was on its third flight of the day
Seuring also testified about a 21 Air plane flying from Alabama to Trinidad in the spring of 2022 that allegedly had a pressurization problem, forcing it to make an emergency diversion to Puerto Rico.
He accused the captain of the plane, Amir Anoshiravani, of having the ‘inability to take command of the operation,’ and added that ‘the first officers had to jointly intervene to get the airplane safely on the ground.’
Anoshiravani told CBS News he had ‘never come in contact’ with Seuring and added, ‘I don’t believe in lies. He has anger at the company because he was fired.’
Bruce Joseph, another former 21 Air pilot, testified in his own Labor Department tribunal in March 2024 that on numerous occasions people were discouraged from reporting safety issues.
Joseph accused the firm’s then-director of safety of warning him not to log a safety issue without first speaking to the company’s then-CEO, Mike Mendez.
The pilot said there were only a ‘couple of occasions’ where his concerns were actually logged because he would ‘press’ the issue, but by doing so he ‘would have the wrath of Mike.’
A video captured the moment a police officer rescued a person inside one of the cars that was hit
21 Air released a statement following the devastating crash: ‘We are devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami on September 6.’
‘Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available.
‘We are cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities. The circumstances of the accident are under investigation.’
The five victims were identified as Rolando Aleman, 55, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, Julio C Pineda, 75, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.
Joseph Carroll, 55, and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, 37, were at the helm of the Boeing 767 when it slammed into a van, then through a fence, and onto a local street where it destroyed an SUV. They have since been released from the hospital.
Three other people remain hospitalized, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said. Eugenio Corredor, 79, and Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, are in critical condition. Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres, 36, is in stable condition.
The plane was arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the aircraft’s third trip of the day, according to Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Joseph Carroll was one of the pilots at the helm of the Boeing 767 jet when it barreled off the runway
Jaime Filipe Silva Molina was the other pilot. Officials said he and Carroll were both released from hospital
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but a preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration found that the airport is not equipped with the Engineered Materials Arresting System, which has been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide.
The system places beds of lightweight, crushable material at the end of a runway to help bring planes that overshoot the tarmac safely to a stop, the agency said.
Terrifying dispatch audio obtained by the Daily Mail revealed the horrific moment rescuers counted the dead after the crash.
‘This aircraft overran the runway and crossed 67th Avenue. It struck a truck,’ one emergency responder said, according to the audio.
‘We do have a patient on the ground. We’re looking at surveying the area for more patients.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Amazon for comment.
