Accidents
NTSB Cites First Officer Actions in Atlas Crash
The crash of an Atlas Air Boeing 767 in 2019 stemmed from improper activation of the go-around mode.
On March 3, 2019, the NTSB retrieved the data recorder of Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767-300 cargo jet, that crashed in the muddy marshland of Trinity Bay Feb. 23, 2019. (Photo: NTSB)
On March 3, 2019, the NTSB retrieved the data recorder of Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767-300 cargo jet, that crashed in the muddy marshland of Trinity Bay Feb. 23, 2019. (Photo: NTSB)

The first officer at the controls of an Atlas Air Boeing 767 inadvertently engaged the autopilot’s go-around mode while preparing to arrive at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Feb. 23, 2019, and in the resulting confusion took actions that ended with the cargo-carrying 767 crashing into Trinity Bay, according to a draft report from the NTSB. The Board detailed in the draft report problems with the first officer’s background, including “deliberate actions to conceal his history of performance deficiencies…”