Atlas Air Flight 3591
 | This article documents a current aviation accident. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (February 2019) |
.jpg) The aircraft involved in the accident seen here in 2014 while in service with LAN Airlines | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 23, 2019 |
| Summary | Crashed during approach; under investigation |
| Site | Trinity Bay; near Anahuac, Texas 29°45′50″N 94°42′53″W / 29.76389°N 94.71472°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 767-375(ER)(BCF) |
| Operator | Atlas Air, operated for Amazon Air |
| IATA flight No. | 5Y3591 |
| ICAO flight No. | GTI3591 |
| Call sign | GIANT 3591 |
| Registration | N1217A |
| Flight origin | Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida |
| Destination | George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Atlas Air Flight 3591 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight operating for Amazon Air between Miami International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. On February 23, 2019, the Boeing 767-375ER (BCF) operating this flight crashed during approach into Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas, east of Houston, shortly before 12:45 CST (18:45 UTC).[1][2] All three crew members on board the flight did not survive the accident.[3] Debris ranging from small articles of clothing to large aircraft parts were found in the shallow waters of Trinity Bay. The crash is the first fatal crash of a Boeing 767 freighter.
Accident
Atlas Air 3591 was on approach towards Houston, when it made a sharp turn south before going into a rapid descent. Witnesses to the crash described the plane entering a nosedive; some also recalled hearing "what sounded like lightning" before the Boeing 767 hit the ground.[4] Shortly before 12:45 CST (18:45 UTC), Flight 3591 crashed into the north end of Trinity Bay at Jack's Pocket.[5] The aircraft struck the water at high speed and disintegrated upon impact.[citation needed]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert after radar and radio contact was lost around 30 miles (50 km) southeast of its destination.[6] Air traffic controllers tried at least twice to contact the flight, with no response. Controllers asked pilots aboard two nearby flights if they saw a crash site, both of whom said they did not.[7]
The United States Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter and several boats to search for survivors. Numerous other agencies responded as well. The largest piece of aircraft debris found has been less than 50 feet (15 m) in length. Some of the debris had the Amazon logo visible. The accident site was only accessible via air boat and helicopter. The water varies in depth from zero to five feet (1.5 m) deep and is partially mud marsh.[8]
Aircraft
The Boeing 767-375ER (MSN 25865/430) aircraft was registered N1217A and was nearly 27 years old at the time of the accident having been built in 1992, originally ordered by Canadian Airlines but was ultimately delivered to China Southern Airlines.[9] Later it was transferred to LAN Airlines before being converted into a freighter in December 2016 after being acquired by Atlas Air, painted in Amazon Prime Air livery.[9] According to FAA records, the airframe had accumulated more than 90,000 hours over 23,000 flights prior to its hull loss.[9] The 767 was powered by two GE CF6-80 turbofan engines.[9]
Crew
There were three crew members on board the aircraft.[10] Chambers County Sheriff, Brian Hawthorne confirmed that one body has been recovered. The other two crew members are presumed to be dead.
On February 24, 2019 Atlas Air officially confirmed that all three members of the flight did not survive. [11]
The identities of the crew have not yet been confirmed by authorities. However, Capt. Ricky Blakely of Indiana, First Officer Conrad Jules Aska of Antigua, and Mesa Airlines Capt. Sean Archuleta of Houston (a jumpseater aboard the flight) were identified as the three victims on social media by friends and family. According to a close friend, Capt. Archuleta was in his final week of employment at Mesa Airlines, and was traveling home before beginning new-hire pilot training with United Airlines, scheduled for the following week.[12]
Investigation
FAA, FBI and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) members were dispatched to the crash site. The NTSB will lead the accident investigation.[13] Human remains have been found but the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have yet to be recovered. A dive team from the Texas Department of Public Safety is tasked with locating the aircraft's flight data & cockpit voice recorders. Crews will likely remain at the crash site for weeks for recovery.[14]
The preliminary cause of the accident is unknown at this time. Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne speculated that the cause would likely be mechanical in nature. He also noted that storm cells were nearby at the time of the crash, but presumably did not play a role.[15]
The Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Atlas Air, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (the pilot union representing Atlas Air pilots), Air Line Pilots Association, International (the pilot union representing Mesa Airlines), and engine maker General Electric are currently assisting or have offered their assistance to the NTSB inquiry.[16].
References
- ^ "Cargo jet with three reported aboard crashes in water near Houston". NBC News.
- ^ Josephs, Leslie (23 February 2019). "Atlas Air Flight 3591: Cargo jet crashes near Houston with 3 aboard". www.cnbc.com.
- ^ "Atlas Air Confirms Family Assistance Established in Flight 3591 Accident". Atlas Air Worldwide. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ Kennedy, Megan; Taylor, Brittany; Aufdenspring, Matt (2019-02-23). "3 presumed dead after cargo jet nose-dived into Trinity Bay, sheriff says". KPRC.
- ^ Josephs, Leslie (23 February 2019). "Atlas Air Flight 3591: Cargo jet crashes near Houston with 3 aboard". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ Law, Tara. "Cargo Boeing 767 Plane, Carrying 3, Crashes Into Texas Bay". Time. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ Warren, David; Bleiberg, Jake (24 February 2019). "Sheriff: No likely survivors in jetliner crash near Houston". Associated Press. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ "Human remains found cargo plane crash in Chambers Co". ABC13 Houston. 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
- ^ a b c d airfleets.net. Boeing 767 - MSN 25865 - N1217A
- ^ Collman, Ashley. "Breaking news: Boeing 767 cargo plane crashes in Texas, reportedly killing all three on board". INSIDER.
- ^ "Atlas Air Confirms Family Assistance Established in Flight 3591 Accident". Atlas Air Worldwide. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ "3 confirmed dead after Boeing 767 cargo plane's nose dive into Trinity Bay".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ CNN, Steve Almasy and Hollie Silverman. "Cargo jet with 3 aboard crashes in Texas". CNN.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Sheriff: No likely survivors in jetliner crash near Houston". WHEC News10NBC. 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
- ^ Scherer, Jasper; Despart, Zach (2019-02-23). "Sheriff: 'I don't believe anyone could survive' cargo plane's nose dive into Trinity Bay". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
- ^ https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/video-shows-atlas-767f-in-steep-dive-prior-to-cras-456054/