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A sheriff in southeastern Texas said Sunday that two bodies were found on the site where a Boeing 767 cargo plane crashed into a coastal bay. The three people on board flight 3591 died, according to the owner of the plane. (February 25)
AP

Investigators in Texas continued Monday to search for the body of a victim of an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane crash and clues about the cause of the accident that occurred in Houston, which killed the three people on board.

The black box containing the flight data was not recovered after the Saturday crash. It is thought that he is submerged in the muddy waters of Trinity Bay, where the plane collapsed about 35 miles east of Houston.

On Sunday, the rescuers found two bodies at the scene of the accident, and the aircraft operator, Atlas Air, said there were no survivors . The Boeing 767 was on a regular cargo flight between Amazon and Houston for Amazon when the accident occurred.

The Houston Chronicle identified the casualties as being Houston captain Sean Archuleta, Indiana captain Ricky Blakely and Antigua's first officer Conrad Jules Aska, basing the report on the accounts of friends and family on social media.

More: Three confirmed dead after the crash of an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane in Texas

No official identity has been confirmed, although Archuleta's employer, Mesa Airlines, issued a statement in which he regrets his passing. He was a pilot for the company since 2013.

"It's a sad day for the entire Mesa family as we mourn the loss of Captain Sean Archuleta," said Jonathan Ornstein, President and CEO of Mesa. "It's a loss for the whole aviation."

Don Dalton, whom the Chronicle newspaper has called Archuleta's roommate for the past three years, told the newspaper that the 36-year-old driver had recently become a father and had landed his dream job with United Airlines. He was scheduled to start next week and took the cargo plane back home from Miami.

"He almost realized his dream," Dalton was quoted as saying. "Now he will never drive it again … it's the part that kills me."

The Chambers County Sheriff's Office said the two bodies found on Sunday had been sent to the coroner's office for autopsies.

NTSB President Robert Sumwalt said that a security video from a prison located about one kilometer from the scene of the accident showed that the plane was heading towards the scene. first towards the ground. Air traffic controllers reported rain in the area, said Sumwalt, and the plane did not send distress call before the wreckage.

The interaction between pilots and air controllers has highlighted the rain, which has been strong in some places, according to the Chronicle, and the best way to get around it while avoiding the planes initially.

Atlas Director Bill Flynn, who was at the crash site with other company representatives and federal, regional and local investigators, said that Atlas was implementing member assistance programs. of the family of those killed in the accident.

Witnesses said they heard the aircraft's engines making waves and watching the craft veer sharply before sinking into the wind, said Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne.

Investigators said the debris left by the accident had scattered a large area of ​​Trinity Bay.

Contribute: The Associated Press

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