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An Atlas Air Boeing 767 cargo plane crashed today in Trinity Bay, on the Texas Gulf Coast, with three people aboard, the Federal Aviation Administration stated.
"Human remains were found on the scene" the FBI office in Houston said. "At that time, there is no sign of survivors."
The aircraft is part of the Amazon Air parcel delivery fleet, according to aviation records. He was traveling from Miami to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when radar and radio contact was lost shortly before 12:45. CT (10:45 pm), about 30 miles southeast of Houston, said the FAA.
Local TV stations broadcast a video showing a long trail of debris in the shallow waters of the bay.
"Who knows what we can not see in the water, but it sounds like total devastation on the part of the plane," Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthor told reporters. "Knowing what I saw, I do not believe anyone can survive it."
The names of the crew were not disclosed.
FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators visit the scene of the accident. The NTSB will be responsible for the investigation. New York-based Atlas Air Worldwide, which has operated the device for Amazon, said it is fully cooperating with the FAA and NTSB.
"We can confirm that there were three people on board the plane," said Atlas Air in a statement. "These people and their family members are our top priority right now."
Dave Clark, Senior Vice President of Global Operations for Amazon, expressed his sympathy and concern. "Our thoughts and prayers accompany the flight crew, their family and friends, as well as the entire Atlas Air team during this terrible tragedy," Clark said in a written statement. sent to GeekWire. "We appreciate first responders who have worked urgently to provide support."
Boeing said that he was "deeply saddened to learn that the Atlas Air 767 cargo ship was crashed near Anahuac, Texas, earlier in the day".
"We are concerned about the safety of the three people on board," Boeing said in his statement on Twitter. "Boeing is ready to provide technical assistance to the NTSB as part of its investigation into the accident."
Atlas Air and another leasing company, Air Transport Services Group, or ATSG, each operate 20 Boeing 767-300s to service Amazon's distribution network. The service was launched in 2016 and now serves more than 20 airports. Today's incident is the first fatal air crash related to the Amazon transport operation.
Last December, Amazon announced that it would work with ATSG to add an additional 10,767 units to the delivery service over the next two years.
Atlas Air flight 3591 used a 767 jet aircraft that was converted from passenger aircraft to cargo and entered service with Atlas in April 2017, Reported FlightRadar24. The aircraft was registered with the tail number N1217A. Like all tail numbers associated with planes serving the Amazon network, 1,217 is a prime number.
Pilots working for Atlas Air and ABX Air, a subsidiary of ATSG, have long complained of staff shortages and operational issues related to delivery by Amazon. But it is too early to say whether such problems played a role in today's crash, or to speculate on the cause of the crash.
Update for 18:35 PT 23 February: Daniel Wells, Captain of Atlas Air and President of the Airline Professionals Association, Local 1224 Teamsters, issued the following statement on the accident:
"Our union is coming together to form a family and support the families of our members. We focus on our friends and colleagues on this plane and we do everything in our power to support their families.
"Teamsters Local 1224 representatives are already on the ground supporting this investigation. We also thank the first responders who rushed to the scene to help. "
The union said members of Teamsters Local 1224 were on board.
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