An air traffic controller failed to warn the pilots of an Amazon cargo plane about potentially strong tailwinds as they prepared to land in Miami, despite federal rules requiring the information, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane later ran off the runway, killing five people last month.

Only four minutes before authorizing the Amazon flight to land, the controller had given another pilot a wind advisory, reporting southerly gusts of up to 25 mph.

However, the controller “did not issue information about the wind” to the Amazon crew, the report said.

Federal regulations require controllers to provide “both wind direction and velocity” when clearing an aircraft to use a runway with a tailwind component, according to the NTSB.

The preliminary report did not identify the cause of the crash. The investigation remains ongoing and could take more than a year to finish.

The plane, which was carrying packages of contact lenses for Amazon, arrived from Puerto Rico and landed at high speed at Miami International Airport on Sept. 6. It traveled about 1,200 feet beyond the runway before crashing.

The aircraft struck a van carrying employees of a company that cleans airplanes.

Five people inside the van were killed. Two others in the van suffered serious injuries, as did the driver of a car struck by the plane.

Both pilots sustained minor injuries.

Tailwinds can make landing a plane harder

Aviation experts have said weather appears to have played at least some role in the accident.

Tailwinds can reduce an aircraft’s ability to slow down and carry it beyond the optimal landing area on a runway.

“When you’ve got winds like that, it is your responsibility as a controller to issue that to a pilot, especially on landing and especially when you have gusts,” said Tony Mello, a former Federal Aviation Administration official who oversaw air traffic control services in the central US.

A landing with a gusting tailwind demands “more concentration on the part of the pilot,” but it is not impossible, said former NTSB member John Goglia.

Goglia called the failure to communicate the wind conditions “a significant omission,” while cautioning that it alone would not have caused the crash. “Every crash is a chain of events. That’s just one event,” he said.

RELATED: Rep. Pramila Jayapal Questions Mayor Katie Wilson’s Shooting Response

The plane had little runway left when it touched down

A summary of cockpit voice recordings previously released by the NTSB showed that one pilot repeatedly warned the other that the plane was approaching and completing its landing too quickly.

The other pilot, however, never gave “a consistent verbal response” to those warnings, the NTSB said.

The pilots had flown together for the first time earlier that same day, according to the preliminary report.

Cockpit audio also recorded several automated alerts warning about the aircraft’s descent rate and nearby terrain.

The plane touched down at 184 mph, already roughly three-quarters of a mile beyond the beginning of the runway, the NTSB reported.

The pilots may have attempted to abort the landing, but investigators said the effort could have come too late.

Data from the plane show its wheel brakes were applied, then released as the engines throttled to “go-around” thrust values before the brakes again were applied with about 415 feet of runway remaining.

The plane ran off the pavement while still traveling at 130 mph, then struck some airport equipment and the cleaning crew’s van before crashing through a perimeter fence, hitting a car on a public road and coming to rest with its nose in a parking lot fence, the preliminary report said.

Plane’s operator says it is focused on safety

After the crash, Amazon suspended its partnership with 21 Air, which operated the plane. The North Carolina carrier had flown packages for Amazon since 2024.

The Boeing 767 that crashed was 32 years old and originally built to carry passengers. It was converted to a cargo plane in June 2016, the preliminary NTSB report said.

The plane’s operator, 21 Air, said in a written statement Thursday that safety is “a core focus” of its organization.

“We are reviewing the information in the NTSB preliminary report closely, alongside our own internal safety and operational protocols, and we will take all appropriate action to improve our safety based on the facts as they are established,” the company said.

The Miami crash came less than a year after a UPS cargo plane crashed at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport after losing its engine while accelerating down the runway.

That crash killed all three pilots and 12 people on the ground. Twenty-three more were injured.

A California man allegedly shot and killed his wife inside their home before taking his own life in what police described as an apparent murder-suicide.

Hendrick Rabitzsch, 48, and his wife, Nicole Rabitzsch, 47, were found dead Saturday night at their residence in the 3100 block of Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Police Department said.

Both victims had suffered gunshot wounds to the head. Investigators believe Hendrick shot Nicole before using the firearm to kill himself.

‘A firearm was recovered at the scene. No other individuals are believed to have been involved. This was an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the public,’ the department said in a September 26 press release.

‘The identities of the deceased are being withheld pending formal identification and notification of next of kin by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner,’ officials added.

Detectives believe the shooting occurred at about 6:42 a.m. The couple’s bodies were discovered approximately 15 hours later, when officers went to the property to conduct a welfare check.

Authorities have not said who requested the check or what prompted it. Officers arrived at the home, which appears to sit above a yoga studio, at about 9:40 p.m.

Police found the married couple dead inside, with a firearm located nearby, according to the department’s statement.

Investigators have released few additional details as they continue examining the circumstances that led to the couple’s deaths.

The Rabitzsches were both originally from Essen, Germany, and had been together for nearly three decades. They spent most of their lives in the United States, according to Hollywood LA News.

Posts on their social media accounts appeared to portray the couple as happy and deeply connected.

One photograph showed them as teenagers, smiling affectionately at the camera.

Their posts chronicled an affluent lifestyle that included Caribbean cruises, New Year’s celebrations on city rooftops, desert drives, hot springs under the Milky Way and frequent outings on the water.

Followers described them as a ‘power couple,’ while Nicole repeatedly referred to Hendrick as her ‘hubby’ in social media posts.

The pair often shared images from trips abroad and from their life in California, including roller-skating outings, bike rides and drives together.

Their final publicly documented getaway appeared to have taken place in May, when they boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise. In one photograph from the trip, Nicole posed beside her husband while holding an Aperol Spritz.

Nicole had worked at an Audi dealership in downtown Los Angeles for nearly 13 years, after previously spending more than five years working for the automaker in Germany, according to her LinkedIn profile.

It remains unclear what Hendrick did for a living, but his social media profiles show him working on luxury cars such as Porsches, racing motorcycles and vintage cars and sharing screenshots of his cryptocurrency holdings. 

Other videos show him flying small planes and helicopters to destinations like Las Vegas and Wyoming, as well as driving along the state’s coastal highways in high-end Mercedes-Benz cars.

In June 2023, Hendrick shared what appeared to be a heartfelt tribute to his wife on Instagram as they celebrated their anniversary.

‘Congratulations on 26 years my love – we’ve been through so much together! Who would have thought back then that we could endure it for so long – now someone has to imitate that!’ he wrote.

‘So, if your part of your interest was any more, we could hang on for a few more days,’ ending the message with a winky-face emoji.

Authorities are now urging anyone with information about the case to contact the Santa Monica Police Department Watch Commander at 310-458-8427. 

Last week’s grim discovery came just five months after another Santa Monica couple was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide. 

Jeremy Ferguson, a prominent nonprofit leader who worked to reduce crime and promote economic growth in the city, and his 49-year-old wife, Mandy Zelinka, were found dead from gunshot wounds in April, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

At the time, police said Ferguson emailed a suicide note to a friend that contained instructions on how to get into the home, according to NBC Los Angeles. 

Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide can call or text 988, the nationwide Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, for free, confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week in English and Spanish. 

Progressive Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington questioned Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s leadership as officials examined the city’s response to the deadly shooting at a food festival.

Jayapal voiced serious doubts about the self-described socialist mayor after the July attack at the Bite of Seattle left three people dead and four others injured.

“Give me a ring. I’m wondering if we should be there at all,” Jayapal wrote in a series of text
messages to Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on July 26, according to KOMO News.

“I’m not confident she knows what she is doing.”

The five-term congresswoman appeared to be referring to a news conference that was postponed for roughly five hours before officials addressed the public about the shooting, which killed two men, ages 19 and 44, along with a 56-year-old woman.

During the exchange, Ferguson encouraged Jayapal to contact Wilson herself rather than rely on him to obtain updates from the mayor’s office.

The lengthy delay drew sharp criticism, leaving Seattle residents without official information for hours after the violence broke out near the Seattle Center, close to the Space Needle, at approximately 6 p.m.

The messages between Jayapal and Ferguson were included in a broader release of documents issued Wednesday by the governor’s office, detailing officials’ communications after the shooting.

Jayapal, who has represented Washington’s 7th Congressional District—including much of Seattle—since 2017, had been working with Ferguson to obtain details about the attack.

Earlier in the evening, the congresswoman had proposed joining Wilson at any public briefing about the shooting.

“I spoke to her. Suggested that if they are doing a public conference, it would be good if we are all there,” Jayapal told Ferguson, who “agreed.”

Officials participated in briefing calls between approximately 8 and 9 p.m.

Jayapal later said she had been instructed not to go to the Seattle Center because investigators were still treating the area as an active crime scene.

Ferguson and Jayapal learned at about 10:10 p.m. that an 11 p.m. news conference had been scheduled, prompting both officials to head to the Seattle Center.

“They’re waiting for both of us,” Jayapal wrote. “I will be there in 15 minutes.”

According to the governor’s office, Jayapal sent that message at 10:32 p.m., two minutes after Ferguson reached the location.

Later reports suggested the briefing had been delayed because officials were waiting for “dignitaries,” without attributing the explanation to the mayor’s office.

“I’m having Rachel call Brian and say this is outrageous that someone said the delay was because of dignitaries. You may want to have your folks do that too,” Jayapal wrote to Ferguson. “We can raise it directly to her too.”

After the governor’s communications became public, Jayapal continued to criticize Wilson’s handling of the explanation for the delayed briefing.

“I spoke to the Mayor on my way to the Seattle Center, and she told me they were awaiting our arrival,” Jayapal told KING5. “Any delay in waiting for the Governor and I to arrive was about a matter of minutes, not hours.”

During the hectic several hours, Jayapal says she thought police were consistently sharing information with the public instead of waiting for the press conference.

Seattle Police shared a single post to X as the shooting unfolded at 6:29 p.m.

“Police are investigating a shooting. Multiple shooting victims. Shots fired at the Seattle Center. More information to come. Please avoid the area,” the post read.

Jayapal, on Thursday, stood by her criticism of Wilson regarding her leadership in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

“My messages also reflected my serious concerns that no information had been shared with the public prior to this press conference,” she told KING5.

Jayapal’s recollection has been confirmed by police officials who said their department was ready to brief the public but had to wait for Wilson.

“What happened that day was tough. We were ready to go. I was gonna really walk down there and handle it. I did talk to the deputy mayor, just kind of let them know as a courtesy, we’re gonna go down and conduct the interview. And then I was told we needed to wait for the mayor,” Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis told the City Council last week, according to KOMO News.

Wilson’s office did not respond to Jayapal’s criticism.

Instead, officials said Wilson was focused on “strengthening public safety communications, reducing gun violence and proposing investments in public safety and well-being.”