The number of fatalities due to the UPS cargo plane that burst into flames and crashed has now risen to 13, per official reports.
City Leader's Statement
Traveling to the Teamsters’ memorial service, I was informed of a additional fatality that lost their life as a outcome of the UPS flight 2976 incident,” expressed the city mayor in a social media post. “My prayers is with the loved ones, companions and co-workers of all who were lost in this recent disaster. We will get through this as one.”
Casualties Named
A release from UPS named the flight crew operating the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
“Our sympathies go out to every employee who has been affected and all in our Louisville region – helping you and ensuring you get the attention and resources you need is our priority,” the organization’s statement read.
Probe Findings
Government authorities announced that the UPS cargo plane’s port side wing ignited and an power plant fell off shortly after liftoff from the airfield, leading to the jet to plummet and burst into a blaze.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it is probing the aircraft’s maintenance history, that was in Texas for repairs a period prior to the accident.
Aviation records indicated the aircraft was on the tarmac in the Texas city from early September to last week.
“We are aware that this aircraft was present in the facility,” said an NTSB member on the following day, not giving a exact time frame. “We will examine every piece of repairs that was performed, including the repair time, right up to the date of the journey.”
Retrieval of Critical Components
The cockpit voice recorder and information unit were found, and the motor was discovered on the airfield.
The recorders – referred to as flight recorders – were built to endure collision damage and intense fire from infernos, and they appeared to be in one piece when discovered among the crash debris. Investigators intend to reviewing recordings from the devices.
The plane’s last recorded information indicated an elevation of 475 feet and a velocity of 210 miles per hour prior to the crash.
Maintenance History
Per FAA records dated that date, a fissure on a part within the fuel container demanded repairs.
Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which said it supplies airframe maintenance for UPS’s MD-11 and manages a repair facility in Texas, declined to provide remarks, but said it would work closely when investigators reached out it.
Activities Resume
In the meantime, the facility services restarted Wednesday night with its express or night sort operation, spokesperson a representative said. Each of the three runways at the airport were additionally open again.
The sorting center in the city is the organization’s most significant. The center engages more than 20,000 workers in the area, processes 300 aircraft each day and sorts over four hundred thousand parcels per hour.
Public Support
A memorial was conducted on the evening of recently by the area worker’s group, which acts for workers at the airfield, the organization’s biggest air cargo hub.
Worker representatives, which supports employees, began the gathering with a moment of silence at 5.14pm, the estimated time of the incident two days earlier.
“This tragedy was so sudden, so unexpected,” the mayor told the crowd of attendees. “No one had a chance to say goodbye to any of those who we have mourned.”
