Plane Crashes on Busy Miami Road

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The rescue teams are on the scene, and the fires have been put out. Apart from the four-man crew of the Fine Air cargo plane, all of whom died, only four injuries have been reported on the ground. Considering that the crash took place on a busy Miami thoroughfare, it is extremely lucky there weren't more casualties.

Now investigators are asking why it happened. One factor could be the age of the plane. "The DC-8 is a fine old flying machine," says TIME's aviation expert Jerry Hannifin, "but it's certainly an ancient plane." Furthermore, what was this ancient plane doing taking off in the middle of the day today, when it had been scheduled to take off at 11pm last night?

Fine Air Vice President Nancy Adels said the plane, filled with blue jeans bound for the Dominican Republic, was the victim of a "routine delay" while awaiting its cargo. "It happens all the time," she said. Meanwhile Fine Air also faces a stock problem — they went public only yesterday, and shares plummeted on the news of the crash.