At least five people were killed and five others were injured after an Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 overshot the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday. An Amazon cargo plane crash in Miami nearly hit a parking lot filled with Tesla Cybercabs.
Images from the scene showed the Boeing 767 stopping near a parking area that appeared to have dozens of Tesla Cybercabs. The aircraft also appeared to hit multiple vehicles before stopping short of the Cybercab parking area, Business Insider reported. Tesla officially launched its Cybercab robotaxi service in Austin last week.
The plane went beyond the runway and came dangerously close to the Cybercabs . The Cybercabs are Tesla’s new driverless robotaxis. The vehicles have a distinctive gold-colored look and gold wheel hubs. Unlike normal Tesla cars, the Cybercabs are designed without a steering wheel or pedals, as they are built for autonomous driving. The launch was a major step in Elon Musk’s plan to build a large autonomous taxi business. The Austin launch has already attracted attention from US regulators . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an inquiry to check whether Tesla has followed the required rules around the launch of its robotaxis.
It was initially unclear how many people were aboard the plane. It was also not immediately known whether the people who died were passengers or crew members on the aircraft, or whether any victims were on the ground. For now, there is no official confirmation that Tesla was preparing a Miami Cybercab launch.
The vehicles’ presence at Miami International Airport has sparked speculation, but Tesla has not said whether the Cybercabs were being tested, transported, stored or prepared for a future rollout in the city.
Why were Cybercabs at Miami airport?
Their presence could suggest that the vehicles were being stored, transported, tested or prepared for some future use, but Tesla has not publicly confirmed what the Cybercabs were doing at the airport. First responders reported that at least one person was trapped. But the big question after the Miami crash is: why were so many Cybercabs at Miami airport? Tesla’s regular robotaxi service is already operating in Miami. Tesla has not officially explained why the Cybercabs were there. Elon Musk also appeared to react to the unusual sighting. The Amazon plane travelled to Miami from Puerto Rico. Bad weather was also present around the time of the crash. Weather data showed thunderstorms and strong, gusty winds in the area when the incident happened.
Teslarati published a photo showing around 40 Cybercabs at the airport three days before the Amazon plane crash. The presence of around 40 Cybercabs has raised questions about Tesla’s plans for Miami. The aircraft was operated by 21 Air, a charter company, and was flying as part of Amazon’s Prime Air cargo network. The crash happened after the Boeing 767 overshot the runway.
Tesla has not officially said that it is testing or preparing to launch Cybercabs in Miami. The company has been using modified Tesla Model Y vehicles as robotaxis in the city since July, according to Business Insider. Business Insider said Tesla did not immediately respond to its request for comment. Musk responded with “Weird” on X to a post by financial blog Zero Hedge about the presence of the Cybercabs at Miami Airport. The aircraft crossed nearby 67th Avenue before hitting a truck, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue radio transmissions recorded by Broadcastify. In the radio recordings, a first responder said, “We have a patient trapped,” according to Business Insider.
A Tesla-focused website had already spotted a large number of Cybercabs at Miami Airport before the crash.
