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2nd black box recovered in Amazon cargo jet crash that killed 3 near Houston

Authorities said they have recovered the flight data recorder from the Boeing 767 cargo jet that crashed into a bay east of Houston more than a week ago. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) tweeted two images of the so-called "black box" and said it is "being transported to NTSB labs" in Washington, D.C., for evaluation.

Officials recovered the cockpit voice recorder Friday, according to CBS affiliate KHOU-TV. Crews had been scouring the muddy bay days after the Feb. 23 crash for the black boxes, which could help investigators shed light on why the plane nose-dived into the shallow water.

The Miami to Houston plane from Atlas Air left a large "extremely hazardous" debris field along Trinity Bay, some 35 miles east of the city. Flight 3591's three passengers all died.

The plane essentially disintegrated upon impact after losing radio contact approximately 30 miles southeast of Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Crews used  airboats and helicopters to comb through the wreckage, where chunks of the plane was scattered about the bay.

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Wreckage can be seen along Trinity Bay southeast of Houston, Texas. CBS News

Surveillance video

The cargo plane had been carrying packages for Amazon's Prime Air service. It was on approach to Houston's airport when air traffic controllers warned the pilots they were approaching bad weather. NTSB said Monday video footage of the plane prior to the crash — captured by a camera from a jail about a mile away — won't be made public for quite some time as the investigation continues.

Victims mourned

A statement from Teamsters Local 1224 president and Atlas Air Captain Daniel C. Wells mourned the loss of all three men: Captain Rick Blakely, Conrad Aska, the 44-year-old first officer and co-pilot, and Sean Archuleta, a 36-year-old jump-seat passenger.

"Our union family is devastated and mourns the loss of our colleagues and crew members, Capt. Ricky Blakely and First Officer Conrad Jules Aska, and a fellow aviator from Mesa Airlines, pilot Sean Archuleta," the statement read. "Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families and friends of the three crew members involved. At this time we're focused on doing everything we can to support them and to provide counseling to any pilots and their family members who are feeling the pain of this tremendous loss."

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Rick Blakely, Conrad Aska, Sean Archuleta CBS News

Captain Sean Archuleta, who had been a pilot for Mesa Airlines since 2013 and had been riding in the aircraft's jump seat getting a lift back home in the Houston area.

The Associated Press said Archuleta's wife lives in Colombia and was "devastated" when she learned of the crash. He was a new father, AP reports, and was weeks away from starting his "dream" job flying for United Airlines, according to Don Dalton, Archuleta's roommate.

"This is a sad day for the entire Mesa Family as we mourn the loss of Captain Sean Archuleta," Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa's chairman and chief executive officer, said Sunday. "Our thoughts are with Sean's family, the families of the two Atlas Air pilots, and the whole Atlas Air organization. This is a loss for all of aviation."

Two GoFundMe accounts have been setup to help the victims: One campaign for the two pilots involved, which is nearing $125,000 as of Sunday night; and the other for Archuleta's family, which has raised more than $211,000.

Jason Campbell was one of the civilian boaters at the site of the crash and described the grim scene.

"Pieces of bodies, nothing bigger than ... you know," Campbell told KHOU-TV. "It's obvious it's human pieces, but nothing bigger than you can hold in your hands."

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An investigator among wreckage at the scene of a deadly cargo plane crash southeast of Houston. CBS News
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