Amazon Plane Crash: Former TOPGUN Pilot Explains Weather and Landing Risks

Amazon Plane Crash: Former TOPGUN Pilot Explains Weather and Landing Risks

Deadly Amazon Plane Crash: Former TOPGUN Pilot Points to Weather Wind Shift and High Speed

A retired Navy TOPGUN fighter pilot is raising important questions about the weather and landing conditions surrounding a deadly Amazon plane crash, pointing to severe thunderstorms, a dramatic wind shift and the aircraft’s speed as factors that could have made the final moments especially challenging.

Matthew Wyss-Buckley, a retired Navy F-18 instructor pilot with decades of military and commercial aviation experience, offered his assessment while emphasizing that investigators will need to examine the flight data recorder and other evidence before determining exactly what caused the crash.

His analysis focuses attention on what happened during the aircraft’s approach and landing, when changing weather conditions can leave pilots with limited time to make critical decisions.

Severe Thunderstorms Were Near the Runway

One of the most striking details highlighted by Wyss-Buckley was the presence of powerful thunderstorms near the airport.

He said video from the scene appeared to show a major thunderstorm behind the aircraft shortly before the crash. The aircraft also appeared to touch down thousands of feet beyond its intended touchdown zone.

Although the runway was approximately 9,000 feet long, the retired fighter pilot explained that runway length alone does not guarantee a safe stop.

An aircraft that touches down late or arrives with excessive speed can quickly consume available runway, particularly when weather conditions are changing.

A Nearly 180-Degree Wind Shift

The weather conditions became even more significant because of a major change in wind direction shortly before touchdown.

According to Wyss-Buckley’s account, the wind shifted almost 180 degrees approximately 16 minutes before the aircraft touched down. The wind was reported from the south at 17 knots, with gusts reaching 26 knots.

Such a rapid change can complicate an aircraft’s approach and landing calculations.

Wind affects an aircraft’s speed relative to the ground, its handling characteristics and the amount of runway needed after touchdown. When strong gusts and thunderstorms are present, conditions can become particularly difficult to predict.

The changing wind direction may therefore become an important part of investigators’ reconstruction of the accident.

High Speed Raised Questions About the Landing

Wyss-Buckley also focused on the aircraft’s speed as it left the runway.

He estimated that the aircraft departed the runway at approximately 112 knots, or about 129 miles per hour. At that speed, there was significant momentum remaining as the aircraft reached the end of the available runway.

The retired pilot also explained that the position of the aircraft’s landing gear can affect whether certain systems designed to help slow and settle the aircraft are fully activated.

If the left main landing gear remained off the runway, systems such as spoilers may not have provided their intended assistance. Thrust reversers could also potentially have been affected depending on the aircraft’s condition.

These technical details could become important as investigators examine the aircraft’s final seconds on the runway.

Former TOPGUN Pilot Raises the Go-Around Question

Perhaps the most significant part of Wyss-Buckley’s analysis involved the possibility of abandoning the landing.

The former F-18 instructor said one principle he repeatedly taught students was: “If there’s any doubt, there’s no doubt.”

In his view, once the crew reached a point where there was serious uncertainty about whether the aircraft could stop safely, a go-around could have been considered.

He noted that aircraft are required to carry fuel reserves for emergencies and that a crew can potentially reject a landing and attempt another approach.

The sudden wind shift could also have created an opportunity to consider a different runway, potentially allowing the aircraft to land with the wind more favorable to the approach.

However, Wyss-Buckley was careful not to second-guess the crew without access to the complete evidence.

NTSB Investigation Will Determine What Happened

The former TOPGUN pilot’s comments provide an experienced aviation perspective, but they do not establish the official cause of the crash.

Investigators will need to examine the flight data recorder, weather information, aircraft systems, runway conditions, landing performance and the crew’s actions during the final approach.

The combination of severe thunderstorms, rapidly changing winds, a late touchdown and high speed could become significant elements of that investigation, but it is too early to say which factors were decisive.

As the NTSB investigation continues, additional data from the aircraft and the accident site should provide a clearer picture of what happened.

For now, the crash serves as another stark reminder of how quickly conditions can change during an aircraft landing—and how critical timing, speed, runway position and weather awareness can become when pilots are operating in difficult conditions.

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