Family and friends of Julio C. Pineda, the eldest among the five Cuban victims of the Amazon cargo flight accident at Miami International Airport, bid their final farewell at a private service held at Vior Funeral Home, located at 291 NW 37th Avenue in the city.
Pineda, aged 75, tragically lost his life on September 6th when the Boeing 767-300 of flight 7598 by 21 Air—operating for Amazon—veered off the runway after landing at high speed, colliding with a van in which he and six colleagues were returning after an eight-hour shift.
Those who knew him cherished the memory of a beloved man affectionately nicknamed "the Magician" for his magic tricks, jokes, and his habit of handing out sweets to neighborhood children.
“I've known him for 13 years as the Magician. A very helpful, charismatic, and loving person with all the neighbors and children,” his neighbor Jorge Samper told Univision 23.
Jenny, the wife of one of Pineda's sons, spoke to Diario Las Américas over the phone, admitting that the family was still struggling to come to terms with the loss.
She also noted that as of Sunday, September 13th, they had not yet received his personal belongings, with the only information on the accident being what had been publicly disclosed. Overall, she expressed dissatisfaction with the response from companies associated with the flight.
Pineda, a father to two, arrived in the United States from Cuba in May 2001 and had been residing in Miami for over two decades, working for Professional Ocean Service Corporation, an airport cleaning contractor at MIA.
Janette Suárez, president of that company, encapsulated the tragedy of these invisible victims: “When you sit on the plane, you don’t realize the work they do. They have lives. They are people: fathers, grandfathers, uncles.”
Alongside Pineda, four other Cubans perished: Javierky Reyes Quevedo (47), Carlos Acosta Fajardo (53), Rolando Alemán León (55), and Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo (53).
A farewell was also held for Carlos Arturo Acosta Fajardo on Sunday. His widower, Nelson Fernández, described him as “an exceptional, special, and unique person,” summing up his grief with the phrase: “He took my life; he died with it.”
The couple had met in Cuba six years prior and had been married for three. The loss was doubly painful, as Carlos Acosta Fajardo's birthday was on September 11th, five days after the tragedy.
By the end of Sunday, two formal lawsuits had been filed: one by the widow of Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo and another by the only survivor in stable condition, Roosevelt Perdomo Torres.
The attorneys representing the families of Pineda and Acosta Fajardo were still reviewing the information before proceeding with legal action, awaiting further developments from the ongoing investigation.
Preliminary data from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that the aircraft landed at 158 knots, a high speed for that phase of the flight. One of the pilots repeatedly warned about the excessive speed during the approach.
Flight records also revealed that the throttles were at full power in the seconds before the impact, and the speed brakes and thrust reversers were not deployed.
Although extensive data has emerged following analysis of the black box recordings, the official causes of the accident have yet to be determined.
FAQs About Miami Amazon Plane Crash
What caused the Amazon plane crash in Miami?
Preliminary reports suggest that the plane landed at an excessively high speed of 158 knots. Flight data showed full throttle power and no deployment of speed brakes or thrust reversers, contributing to the crash.
Who were the victims of the crash?
The crash claimed the lives of five Cuban nationals: Julio C. Pineda, Javierky Reyes Quevedo, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, Rolando Alemán León, and Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo.
Have any lawsuits been filed related to the crash?
Yes, as of now, two lawsuits have been filed: one by the widow of Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo and another by Roosevelt Perdomo Torres, the sole survivor in stable condition.