Atlas Air 767 Crashes Near Houston with 3 People on Board

An Atlas Air cargo jet with three persons on board crashed in Texas, going nose first into Trinity Bay.

Atlas Air Flight 3591 was en route from Miami to Houston when crashed into Trinity Bay shortly before 12:45 p.m. CST, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Air traffic controllers lost radar and radio contact with the flight approximately 30 miles southeast of its destination, George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The Boeing 767 was flying on behalf of Amazon Air, the online retailer’s cargo operation. It had been built in 1992.

Atlas is one of several cargo airlines with which Amazon contracts its air cargo flights.

Atlas Air confirmed that three crew members and no passengers were on board the aircraft.

“Those people and their family members are our top priority at this time,” the airline said in a statement. “Atlas Air is cooperating fully with the FAA and NTSB. We will update as additional information becomes available.”

The National Transportation Safety Board will head up the investigation of the crash, officials at the scene told reporters.

“FAA investigators are on their way to the accident site, and the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified,” said a spokesman for the FAA, Lynn Lunsford, in a statement. “The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.”

Boeing said it “is deeply saddened to learn of the accident,” adding that it was “concerned about the safety of the three people reported to be on board the airplane.”

(Photo: Accura Media Group)