N1217A, a Boeing 767-375ER built in Seattle, Washington and the 430th Boeing 767 constructed, entered service in November, 1992 with China Southern Airlines. Leased to LAN Airlines in January, 1997. Operated with LAN and its subsidiaries until October, 2014. Returned from lease to CIT Leasing Corporation and stored after 19 years of passenger service. Leased to Atlas Air in 2016 and converted into a freighter. Beginning in April, 2017, N1217A was leased to Amazon Prime Air by Atlas Air and given a name. 'CustomAir Obsession.'
On February 23rd, 2019, at nearly 27 years of age, N1217A had accumulated a total of over 91,000 flight hours and over 23,300 flights. On that day, N1217A departed from Miami International Airport while flying as Atlas Air Flight 3591, callsign "Giant 3591," for George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. While on approach, N1217A made a sharp turn and descended rapidly. N1217A fell from the sky and crashed in Trinity Bay, near Anahuac, Texas. None of N1217A's three crew members survived, marking the first fatal accident involving a 767 freighter. No distress call was sent. The investigation into the accident as of now is ongoing.
The loss of N1217A and its crew particularly affects me because I used to work on Prime Air 767-300's. The 767's I saw were the same configuration and similar in age to N1217A. One such 767-300 I worked with was the 469th built and 27 years old. N1217A was 430th. To sit in the cockpits of other Prime Air 767-300's, stand beside them, or service them, and imagine one of them suddenly plummeting from the sky to its doom after decades of service and thousands of successful flights. Its not something I as a mechanic want to dwell on.
Farewell, N1217A. You and your crew are not forgotten.
On February 23rd, 2019, at nearly 27 years of age, N1217A had accumulated a total of over 91,000 flight hours and over 23,300 flights. On that day, N1217A departed from Miami International Airport while flying as Atlas Air Flight 3591, callsign "Giant 3591," for George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. While on approach, N1217A made a sharp turn and descended rapidly. N1217A fell from the sky and crashed in Trinity Bay, near Anahuac, Texas. None of N1217A's three crew members survived, marking the first fatal accident involving a 767 freighter. No distress call was sent. The investigation into the accident as of now is ongoing.
The loss of N1217A and its crew particularly affects me because I used to work on Prime Air 767-300's. The 767's I saw were the same configuration and similar in age to N1217A. One such 767-300 I worked with was the 469th built and 27 years old. N1217A was 430th. To sit in the cockpits of other Prime Air 767-300's, stand beside them, or service them, and imagine one of them suddenly plummeting from the sky to its doom after decades of service and thousands of successful flights. Its not something I as a mechanic want to dwell on.
Farewell, N1217A. You and your crew are not forgotten.
Category Artwork (Traditional) / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 1280 x 808px
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