Family, friends and colleagues of First Officer Conrad Jules Aska will say their final goodbyes today, as the fallen Antiguan pilot will be laid to rest in the village where he grew up.
On February 23rd, the country was plunged into a state of shock and grief as news surfaced that Aska – who was based in Miami, Florida – had died in a plane crash in Texas.
According to NBC, the Boeing 767 appeared to have encountered turbulence a minute before it dropped into a rapid descent and smashed into a Texas bay, killing Aska, Atlas Air pilot Captain Ricky Blakely, and Mesa Airlines Captain Sean Archuleta who were also on board.
The jet, which had been carrying cargo from Miami for Amazon and the US Postal Service, disintegrated upon impact in the shallow waters of the bay.
Aska’s remains were handed over to his family on Tuesday after a cargo flight carrying his body received a water cannon salute at the VC Bird International Airport.
He was pre-deceased by his mother, who was a teacher, and leaves to mourn his father, daughter, and two siblings – a sister and a brother.
The funeral service is scheduled to take place at the St. James Anglican Church in Cedar Grove at 2:30 p.m.
