Three People On Board Fatally Injured In Saturday Accident

An Atlas Air 767 cargo aircraft Flight No. 3591 operating from Miami to Houston was involved in an accident Saturday afternoon.

The aircraft went down near the city of Anahuac Texas, in the Trinity Bay. Atlas Air said in a statement posted on its website that the company could confirm there were three people on board the aircraft. Those people and their family members are our top priority at this time.

The flight was a cargo flight operated by Atlas Air on behalf of Amazon.

In a media briefing held near the accident site in Texas, NTSB Robert Sumwalt said that the pilots had been advised by ATC that there was light to heavy rain along their approach path to Houston and provided radar vectors around the weather. The airplane was cleared to descend to 3,000 feet according to Sumwalt.

"At 12:39, while the aircraft was at approximately 6,000 feet, at a speed of 240 knots, communications was lost with the aircraft, as was radar contact," Sumwalt said.

Sumwalt said that the NTSB has been given access to security camera video from the Chambers County, TX jail, which is about 1.4 miles from the impact area. He said the video shows the airplane in a steep, nose-down attitude for about five seconds prior to the impact.

Atlas is providing all possible information to the families and loved ones of those on board. The company has established a Family Assistance Center staffed with specialists to support the families. Atlas Air Chief Executive Officer Bill Flynn is on site with a team from the airline.

Atlas Air is cooperating fully with the FAA and NTSB. We will update as additional information becomes available.

"Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the crew on board Atlas Air Flight 3591, a 767 cargo airplane that crashed near Anahuac, Texas, on February 23," the company said in a statement released to the media. "We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the crew and stand ready to support the Atlas Air team. Boeing has launched a team to provide technical assistance to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board as the agency conducts its investigation."

(Source: Atlas Air and Boeing news releases. Image from NTSB YouTube video)

FMI. www.atlasairworldwide.com, www.ntsb.gov, www.boeing.com