Jefferson Co. Pilot Dies In Texas Plane Crash

Two others on board die

A Jefferson Co. resident has been identified as one of the three victims in the cargo plane crash into Trinity Bay near Houston, Texas on Saturday.

Captain Ricky Blakely from Brooksburg was the pilot of the 767cargo jet operated by Atlas Air for Amazon Prime that nosedived into the water shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday.

 The National Transportation Safety Board, an independent federal agency that investigates civil aviation crashes, will handle the investigation.

In a video posted by the Chambers County Sheriff's Office, hundreds – if not thousands – of disintegrated plane parts are seen sitting in shallow, murky water. The debris field spans about 180,000 square feet, officials said.

The largest piece authorities have recovered is 50 feet long, they said. Most of the debris in the video is indiscernible.