Search difficult in muddy marsh
ANAHUAC – This quiet suburban community was the scene of a horrific airplane accident last Saturday afternoon, as a Boeing 767 jumbo jet dropped from the sky into Jack’s Pocket, a backwater of Trinity Bay.
The flight was Atlas Air 3591, a cargo plane carrying packages for Amazon on a trip from Miami to Houston.
At about 12:40 pm, authorities said it fell from 6300 feet into the bay, at an angle almost straight down. A witness said she saw it dive, roll to the left, and catch its wing as it landed in the marsh and water of the bay.
First responders included the Chambers County Sheriff, Brian Hawthorne, and fire and EMS from nearby Anahuac. Later authorities included DPS, Coast Guard, Houston Police and dive team, Harris County Sheriff, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Baytown divers. The FAA and the NTSB will be in charge of the investigation. At this time, there is no known cause for the crash, and air traffic controllers said there was no distress call or radio indication of a problem.
The plane broke into hundreds of small pieces, either in the air or as it hit the water. There were three crewmen aboard, and the bodies of two have been recovered.
Authorities are searching for the Black Box controllers, apparently silent due to the muddy marsh where they are embedded, along with many of the parts of the plane. The search is urgent, because the 767 is considered one of the safest planes flying, and authorities want to know what caused this crash.
Babin Statement on Cargo Jet Crash Near Baytown:
“I was saddened to learn of the cargo jet crash Saturday afternoon in our Congressional district outside Baytown. I express my sincerest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
We should be thankful for the local and federal officials who rushed to the scene and will continue working in the coming days and weeks to assist at the crash site.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading an investigation into the crash, and my office and I will remain in contact with NTSB and other authorities as we seek the cause of this crash and work to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”