A crash involving a Boeing 767 cargo plane operated by 21 Air occurred on Sunday as the aircraft was approaching a runway in Miami. The incident resulted in five fatalities and injuries to two pilots. The plane was operated by a North Carolina-based company, which is controlled by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane through a limited liability company (LLC). Legal documents and interviews with CBS News revealed that the company had faced prior safety complaints from former employees. Karl Seuring, a pilot with over 30 years of experience, filed a legal complaint alleging that he was discouraged from raising safety concerns. He said a 21 Air manager told him, "It's not going to change." Although his initial complaint was rejected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an appeal led to a 2023 Department of Labor tribunal where the case remains pending. Seuring and other former pilots claimed that managers suppressed safety reports, pushed crew to fly without proper rest, hired pilots who could not communicate safely in English, and operated planes with known faults. Bruce Joseph, a former chief pilot of 21 Air, testified in the Labor Department tribunal that he had "personal knowledge of people being discouraged" from logging safety concerns. He claimed that the company’s safety director instructed him not to file reports in the safety management software without first consulting the CEO, Mike Mendez. Joseph said that most safety reports were not filed unless he pushed for it. Mendez denied any wrongdoing and said Joseph was fired under "very bad circumstances." He claimed Joseph was trying to make up damaging claims. Mendez said he followed safety procedures and declined to comment further when approached by CBS News. Seuring's attorney, Michael Anello, said that another pilot, Johnny Salmonson, was pressured to fly without proper rest, which could have impacted safety. Anello said that management was pushing pilots and that Salmonson was retaliated against. Seuring testified that when he questioned the accuracy of flight plans with safety attestations, he was told to "just sign it." He also described a mechanical problem on a 21 Air Boeing 767 in 2022 that caused the plane to exceed safe speeds, raising safety concerns. He testified about another incident involving a pressurization problem that forced an emergency diversion to Puerto Rico. The captain of that flight, Amir Anoshiravani, denied any such incident and claimed he had never met Seuring. Retired 21 Air pilot Tony Bless said the Miami crash was not a surprise. He cited maintenance issues, pressure from the chief pilot's office, and the quality of pilots hired. He claimed the company often deferred maintenance and that problems were common on its aging planes. In one incident, Bless said his plane's radar failed during severe turbulence, and he refused to fly it again until a new radar was installed. Seuring noted that pilots were coached on how to write reports and that crew rest was often inadequate. He said his union's vice president even provided sleeping bags for long flights. Former fighter pilot Don Helmig wrote a resignation email to Jim Crane in 2021, warning of safety issues at the company. He attached seven documents detailing problems with scheduling, training, and emergency response. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, and the cause is still unknown. It is unclear whether past safety issues were connected to the incident. The pilots, Captain Joseph Carroll and First Officer Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, were hospitalized but have since been released. The five people killed were members of a cleaning crew in a van hit by the plane. Flight tracking data shows the plane deviated from its descent path before landing. Experts suggest the black box data may provide more insight into what occurred in the cockpit.