The wife of a man killed when an Amazon cargo plane overran the runway at Miami International Airport is suing for wrongful death.
Yaraisi Santiso on Wednesday filed against multiple parties, including Amazon, Amazon Air Cargo, the cargo airline 21 Air and the plane's two pilots, over the death of her husband Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo.
Naranjo, 53, was the driver of the cleaning service van that the Boeing 767 struck on Sunday afternoon. Five of the van’s seven passengers died, and two were injured. Another man who was driving a Toyota Corolla on the road outside the airport was also critically injured when the plane smashed through the airport perimeter fence.
In the lawsuit, Santiso's attorneys allege the disaster could have been avoided. It faults the pilots for attempting a high-speed, tailwind-affected landing. Amazon and 21 Air are also accused of inadequately training pilots and deploying "a worn out, 32-year-old airframe that had been passed from operator to operator across continents."
For now, the plaintiff's attorney Mike Morgan said in a press conference Wednesday, the legal team is focusing on carelessness on the part of the plane’s owners and operators. But they’re still searching to see whether maintenance issues also contributed, he added.
“Based off what was publicly available, we felt very confident in the fact of the negligence on the part of the pilots, as well as the owners and lessors of the airplane and their training and safety,” he said.
The average age of air carriers’ fleets was 14.7 in 2023, although cargo carriers tend to have an older fleet than passenger carriers, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
In a statement, 21 Air CEO Keith Winters wrote the company was devastated by the accident and cooperating fully with the NTSB.
“Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” Winters said. “Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available.”
According to NBC News, a spokesperson for Amazon and Amazon Air Cargo said in a statement that its “deepest sympathies remain with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating tragedy.” According to the report, Amazon said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and working with officials to obtain contact information for the families affected by the crash.
READ MORE: Cargo jet tried to abort unsteady landing before Miami crash, flight data indicates
According to the lawsuit, the pilots approached MIA amid southerly tailwinds and thunderstorm activity. National Weather Service data show southern wind gusts reached 30 miles per hour at the Miami airport around the time the plane crashed.
“The speed that they were approaching at was grossly over the speed that they should have been attempting a landing at,” Morgan said.
The plane then touched down with about 5,000 feet of runway remaining, past the intended touchdown zone, the lawsuit alleges.
The plane traveled 1,300 total feet beyond the runway, striking the Ford van carrying seven employees from Professional Ocean Service Corp.
It then continued through the fence to strike the sedan outside before bursting into flames. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue deployed more than 60 units and 200 personnel to the scene, the fire chief confirmed Sunday.
At a press conference Tuesday night, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the pilots tried to abort an unsteady landing, according to flight data.
Thrust reversers were never used to help stop the plane, Homendy said.
"We want to hear their account of the accident before we release a readout of the cockpit voice recorder," she added.
The suit also alleges Amazon contracted with 21 Air despite the fact employees had raised safety complaints, including allegations that the North Carolina-based all-cargo airline often suppressed safety reports, pushed crew to fly without rest, staffed pilots who couldn’t communicate in English and flew non-airworthy planes.
In Wednesday’s conference, attorney Jorge Garcia, described the family as strong and hardworking.
“They came here from Cuba in 2011,” he said. “They’ve worked multiple jobs, really established themselves within the community, and they’re a really strong family.”
Santiso, the plaintiff, and her husband have a 22-year-old son, Garcia said. Santiso began to panic on Sunday when her husband showed up for work at 6 a.m. as usual but didn’t return home. They found out what happened after speaking with investigators.
The NTSB is currently investigating the incident, in addition to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
