Description

On 23 February 2019, the crew of a Boeing 767-300 (N1217A) being operated by Atlas Air on a scheduled cargo flight for Amazon from Miami to Houston in day IMC with one non-revenue passenger on board lost control of their aircraft passing around 6000 feet during descent and it crashed into shallow water and was destroyed, killing the three occupants: the operating crew and a positioning off duty pilot who had been occupying a supernumerary seat in the flight deck.

Investigation

An Investigation into the accident was carried out by the NTSB. The FDR and CVR were located and recovered and their data were successfully downloaded and of assistance to the Investigation.

The Flight Crew

The 60 year-old Captain had a total of 11,172 flying hours experience which included 1,252 hours on type of which 157 hours were in command. After joining Atlas Air as a 767 First Officer in 2015, he had failed to complete type training to a standard which was considered adequate to take the type rating check ride but after remedial training had taken and passed it. He had then been placed in the Pilot Proficiency Watch Program (PWP) and remained within it for 15 months. Eighteen months after this, he successfully upgraded to 767 Captain and had subsequently successfully completed his first recurrent training on type two weeks prior to the accident.