[Jolly Amaranto]

In the Houston Chronicle today:

Turbulence could be to blame in the deadly Atlas Air cargo plane crash last month near Anahuac, a new report finds.

An analysis of Atlas Air Flight 3591's flight data recorder by the National Transportation Safety Board shows that the Boeing 767 experienced "small vertical accelerations" similar to what planes experience during turbulence shortly before it began to plunge into Trinity Bay around noon on Feb. 23.

The plane was en route to Bush Intercontinental Airport when it diverted around a small storm system east of Houston, according to the NTSB. During that route, the plane gradually descended to 6,200 feet, similar to a plane's final descent to land, before shortly climbing up to 6,300 feet.
Seconds later, the plane's engines were turned up to maximum thrust. The plane pitched slightly upward before turning downward at a 49 degree angle, almost doubling its speed to 430 knots as it plummeted to the ground.

The plane pitched up during its descent, but it never fully recovered. Security video from a nearby Chambers County Sheriff's Office facility captured the plane's final moments as it crashed into Trinity Bay, sending a plume of water, mud and debris high into the air.