In its preliminary report about the deadly 21 Air cargo plane crash in Miami, the National Transportation Safety Board said air traffic controllers didn’t share information about the speed and direction of the wind with pilots before the aircraft’s landing. 

The preliminary report released Thursday also reiterated that the aircraft was landing too fast and that critical systems meant to slow the plane down were not deployed. 

The NTSB is still investigating the crash, and it will be some time before investigators determine why the aircraft overran the runway, crashing into airport equipment and fences and colliding with two vehicles.

The Sept. 6 collision killed five people in an airline cleaning company van and severely injured three others, including two more people in the van and the sole passenger in a Toyota Corolla that was also hit by the plane. 

The aircraft — a 32-year old Boeing 767 that was originally built as a passenger plane before it was converted to a freighter in 2016 — was operated by 21 Air on behalf of Amazon. The deadly crash revived a complaint from a former 21 Air pilot who said he faced retaliation for raising safety concerns. 

According to the NTSB’s preliminary report, surface equipment at Miami International Airport recorded a wind shift before the 21 Air crash, with peak hourly wind potentially reaching 26 knots. 

That was a big switch from just a few minutes earlier, when the system recorded variable wind speeds of just 3 knots.

The air traffic controller who cleared the 21 Air pilots to land did not share information about the wind with the flight crew, the NTSB found. 

Following requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB said air traffic controllers must state both wind direction and velocity when authorizing use of a runway when a tail wind exists. 

Minutes before clearing the 21 Air pilots to land, the same air traffic controller told another flight crew, after being asked, that the winds were recorded at 19 knots with gusts up to 22 knots, according to the NTSB’s report.

The 21 Air flight was not yet on that air traffic controller’s radar when they issued that wind advisory, the NTSB said.

It’s not clear if that information would have impacted the 21 Air flight or the pilot’s actions.

According to the NTSB’s preliminary report, the pilots operating Flight 7598 had only flown together once before, on an earlier flight from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On the return trip to Miami, the captain was flying the plane while the first officer was monitoring, the NTSB said. 

After the aircraft overran the runway, the captain exited the plane through a door, while the first officer exited through the right cockpit window.

In the minutes leading up to landing, one of the pilots warned of the “aircraft’s excessive speed,” according to a snippet of the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder previously released by the NTSB. The other pilot did not have a consistent response.

One of the pilots called for a “go-around,” a common tactic in aviation where flight crew abort the landing and bring the plane back up if they feel they cannot land safely, and the aircraft’s thrust increased to values consistent with a go-around attempt. But the pilots later reversed course and again attempted to land and slow the plane.

There was no evidence the plane’s thrust reversers or speed brakes, two critical systems meant to slow an airplane after landing, had deployed, the NTSB said in the days immediately after the crash. 

On Thursday, the NTSB confirmed that the aircraft’s speed brakes remained stowed and the thrust reversers did not deploy.

A spokesperson for 21 Air said Thursday the company is reviewing the NTSB’s preliminary report, as well as its internal safety and operational protocols. It will “take all appropriate action to improve our safety” based on the facts of the NTSB’s investigation, the spokesperson continued. 

“Safety management is a mindset the entire 21 Air team carries every day in everything we do,” the spokesperson said. “Our executive leadership team is actively engaged in managing operational risk and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.” 

The spokesperson added that 21 Air encourages “employees at every level to raise concerns and share feedback.” That feedback has led to “policies and procedures that exceed requirements, reflecting our commitment to the safe and reliable operation of our airline.” 

Amazon suspended its operations with 21 Air shortly after the crash. 

“Our hearts continue to be with the families and loved ones of those who died or were injured, and with the entire Miami-Dade community,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said Thursday. “We remain committed to supporting the NTSB’s ongoing investigation.” 

Seattle Times reporter Alex Halverson contributed.