BREAKING: Boeing 767 cargo jet operated by Atlas Air has crashed in Texas

[3WE]

*** ground speed reached it's all-time-low of 240 kts ***

Flamingly unremmarkable. (As you say)

I am leaning a bit to internal nut job sabotage.

[Gabriel]

The AVH article (updated since yesterday) includes this:

In the late evening (local time) of Feb 23rd 2019 the Sheriff's office reported one body was recovered. Joint efforts by the Sheriff's office, the FBI and NTSB continue to recover the victims and the black boxes. The crash scene extends over a distance of 3 miles in shallow waters up to 5 feet deep. Multiple dive teams from the Baytown police, Houston police and Texas Department of Public Safety are working at the crash site.

Now I tend to think that the 3 miles, if correct, may be due to debris floating and drifting due to wind/currents.

The plane seems to have been in control until very near the end, with the altitude and ground speed slowly descending until at the last moments the ground speed reached it's all-time-low of 240 kts (I don't know the wind, but it seems too slow for an in-flight break up and to fast for a stall) and the sink rate increased to 7000 fpm.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/GTI ... H/tracklog

[ATLcrew]

the SR-71 converted freighter

That would be epic!

[Evan]

Evan, answer the G.D. question!!

I'll give you the same answer I gave ATL: this forum isn't about me or my type rating on the SR-71 converted freighter.

This doesn't look to me like a loss-of-control due to weak piloting skills. It looks like something catastrophic (but I've been wrong about that before...)

[3WE]

***Just keep putting warm bodies in the seats to meet the requirements, no experience in heavy jets, no experience in long over water operations.***

So why is the RJ safety record so stellar?

[ATLcrew]

76 crew and fairly new as well. Had no idea who they were, RIP airmen. I have been telling them for years it was a matter of when not if. Just keep putting warm bodies in the seats to meet the requirements, no experience in heavy jets, no experience in long over water operations. NO hands! Just keep pushing the damn buttons and ask what's happening... SMH Evan, answer the G.D. question!!

Not for nothing, Bobby, but I don't know if this is an entirely appropriate sentiment in this case. Not sure how much good thousands of hours of overwater ops would have done here.

[BoeingBobby]

when BB comes along, you have my condolences, as i'm sure you knew the crew.

RIP folks

76 crew and fairly new as well. Had no idea who they were, RIP airmen. I have been telling them for years it was a matter of when not if. Just keep putting warm bodies in the seats to meet the requirements, no experience in heavy jets, no experience in long over water operations. NO hands! Just keep pushing the damn buttons and ask what's happening... SMH Evan, answer the G.D. question!!

[Evan]

N1217A: 1992-build 767, converted freighter, former LAN aircraft, stored in 2014, delivered to ATLAS in 2016. Stored 11/2016. Delivered again to ATLAS under new registration (N1217A) on 8/04/2017.

[TeeVee]

when BB comes along, you have my condolences, as i'm sure you knew the crew.

RIP folks

[obmot]

ATC comms, radar, and weather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cn58iVuzBY

AvHerald article:
http://avherald.com/h?article=4c497c3c&opt=2049

Not pilot/ATC here just an aviation "enthusiast" . . . so please don't flame me too forcefully - but it seems to me based on the flight track data that "it" happened (or the end result of "it") at ~ 01:36:40. At that moment (+/- 10-20 secs) the a/c began:

- deviation from course
- rapid plunge
- airspeed decrease quite quickly.

Weather radar shows bad stuff, but not terribly near the incident site itself nor where the a/c deviation from course began.

Without any distress call or even keying, given the rate of altitude loss, and in view of the wreckage photos (mostly small bits etc.) it seems IMHO regardless of the cause - the cause (or causes) was/were unexpected and catastrophic that lead to effectively (if not entirely) sudden loss of control - all of it transpiring in about 90 seconds (notwithstanding some prior issue/problem that played into the final event perhaps occurring earlier but not manifesting until the final event). Most of that of course is probably somewhat obvious at this point.

Again, I'm just looking at data/numbers etc. I am not a trained pilot or ATC. But when more info/investigation unfolds, I'll be curious about timeponit 01:36:40 plus minus a titch.

[3WE]

All the talk about weather is useful.

Not really. Witnesses state the weather was ok at the crash site and Gabe's YouTube shows them crashing well short of the line of storms AND aiming at a lighter area, anyway.

Funky cargo or funky person on board (the lack of a mayday call might point to the second). (Earlier disclaimer still applies)

[Gabriel]

ATC comms, radar, and weather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cn58iVuzBY

AvHerald article:

http://avherald.com/h?article=4c497c3c&opt=2049

[HansPeter]

Lots of weather. I didn't note anything useful on the ATC recording.

All the talk about weather is useful. Apparently a heavy rainband was between the airport and the plane. No talk about fire, problems with cargo or aircraft.

Just a quick transcript: (not complete in anyway)

@ 00:24 KIAH: "Good Afternoon Giant 3591..."
@ 04:00 KIAH: "591 Heavy, there is a little bit of light well now it's showing a little bit of heavy. Light to Heavy precipitation just west of, it looks like V?? and it is moving eastbound so ones you getting closer... vectors around it we'll ... accommodate that."
@ 06:15 Cockpit: "591 we'll go on the west side."
@ 06:18 KIAH: "The only problem we have with that right now there is a bunch of departures...so what we are going to do..."
@ 06:24 Cockpit: "OK, fine. OK then I'll go on the east side..."
@ 09:21 KIAH: "91 Heavy, Houston approach. Please ... We are out of contact."
@ 10:01 KIAH: "40, are you picking up any ELT(s) right now?"

[3WE]

Lots of weather. I didn't note anything useful on the ATC recording.

[B757300]

Stolen from another site. Haven't had time to listen to it; a little over 30 minutes.

ATC recording.

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/kiah/KIAH-App-Feb-23-2019-1830Z.mp3