The week opens with two sad reports of a crash and an attempted hijacking.
On Saturday, February 23, Atlas Air Flight 3591, en route from Miami to Houston, was involved in an accident and went down near the city of Anahuac, Texas, in Trinity Bay. Three people were on board at the time, who have tragically lost their lives. One of the victims was Captain Sean Archuleta, a pilot for Mesa Air Group, who was riding in a jump seat on the plane.
The Boeing 767-300 aircraft is reported to have been close to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport when it nose-dived into a muddy and marshy area of a bay near the city. No distress call was made from the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the accident, beginning with the operation to recover the black box recorders.
Atlas Air and Amazon have expressed their sorrow at the loss of their crew members.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the flight crew, their families and friends along with the entire team at Atlas Air during this terrible tragedy," Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations, said in a statement. "We appreciate the first responders who worked urgently to provide support."
An official statement was also made by the Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. "We stand ready to assist our fellow crewmembers and the entire Atlas Air family with whatever resources that are needed in this time of great sadness as we seek to find the answers to this tragedy. Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to the families of our lost brethren, their families and friends as well as all of our Atlas Air crewmembers and families.
Captain David Bourne, Teamsters Airline Division Director, said: "We were tremendously shocked and saddened at the loss of our fellow crewmembers and the jumpseat rider in the tragic crash of Atlas Air Flight 3561 near Houston, Texas yesterday. We all understand the risks associated with our profession as with any other; yet we are all humbled when such tragedies as this occur.”
In Bangladesh, a man was shot dead during a suspected hijack attempt on Dubai-bound Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight. Reports state that a passenger had tried to enter the cockpit after waving a gun, told the pilot he wanted to speak to Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and had threaten to blow up the plane.
After the aircraft made an emergency landing, Bangladeshi commandos stormed the aircraft at Chittagong's Shah Amanat International Airport on Sunday and shot the man when he refused to surrender, according to official reports from the Bangladesh Army.
Before the commandos moved in, all 142 passengers and most of the crew had been let off the aircraft unharmed. One crew member had been held hostage, the officials said. There are conflicting reports as to whether the passenger had explosives strapped to him or that his gun was fake or real.