The number of lives lost resulting from the freight aircraft which caught fire and crashed has climbed to 13, according to official statements.
Mayor's Announcement
While en route to the Teamsters’ vigil, I was informed of a thirteenth victim that died as a result of the UPS flight 2976 accident,” stated the local official in a online message. “My prayers is with the families, friends and colleagues of all who were taken in this week’s disaster. We will endure this collectively.”
Victims Named
A release from the carrier named the flight crew on board the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.
“Our sympathies are extended to all UPSer who has been touched and all in our Louisville region – assisting you and making sure you receive the attention and resources you need is our main concern,” the firm’s statement read.
Investigation Updates
National authorities revealed that the freight aircraft’s port side wing caught fire and an motor fell off soon after liftoff from the Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport, resulting in the plane to crash and explode into a fireball.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it is examining the plane’s service record, which was in Texas for repairs weeks before the incident.
Flight tracking data revealed the aircraft was on the ground in the Texas city from early September to mid-October.
“We are aware that this aircraft was located in San Antonio,” remarked an investigator on the following day, not giving a precise date range. “We will look at each aspect of maintenance that was done, from the repair time, straight to the date of the flight.”
Recovery of Key Components
The pilot’s recorder and information unit were recovered, and the power plant was located on the tarmac.
The units – known as data containers – were built to withstand collision damage and severe fire from infernos, and they seemed to be in one piece when found within the remains. Investigators plan on examining data from the black boxes.
The plane’s concluding flight details displayed an height of 475 feet and a speed of 210 miles per hour before the impact.
Service Record
Per FAA records from 18 September, a fracture on a structural piece within the tank area required repairs.
Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which said it supplies structural repairs for UPS’s MD-11 and runs a repair facility in that city, chose not to comment, but expressed it would assist completely when officials approached it.
Services Continue
At the same time, the facility operations continued Wednesday night with its Next Day Air or evening procedure, spokesperson a representative stated. The three runways at the aviation hub were also reopened.
The distribution hub in Louisville is the organization’s biggest. The facility engages in excess of 20,000 people in the locality, processes 300 flights each day and organizes more than four hundred thousand parcels an hour.
Local Response
A candlelight vigil was held on the night of that date by the area Teamsters Union, which supports workers at the airfield, the company’s primary air cargo hub.
Teamsters Local 89, which stands for staff, began the memorial with a quiet tribute at that time, the estimated hour of the incident two days earlier.
“This event was so sudden, so unforeseen,” the leader spoke to the crowd of attendees. “No one had a opportunity to part to any of those who we have mourned.”
