🔗 Share this article

The total count of victims resulting from the UPS cargo plane which ignited and plummeted has now reached 13, per latest reports.

City Leader's Remarks

“On my way to the Workers’ candlelight gathering, I was informed of a additional fatality that lost their life as a outcome of the plane accident,” stated the city mayor in a social media post. “My heart are with the loved ones, friends and peers of all who were killed in this week’s tragedy. We will overcome this as one.”

Victims Identified

A release from the carrier named the pilots on board the aircraft as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, Co-pilot Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.

“Our thoughts reach out to all UPSer who has been touched and everyone in our Louisville community – assisting you and making sure you receive the support and resources you need is our main concern,” the firm’s message read.

Inquiry Updates

Government investigators revealed that the freight aircraft’s port side wing caught fire and an motor fell off shortly after takeoff from the airfield, leading to the jet to plummet and explode into a blaze.

The NTSB announced it is probing the aircraft’s upkeep logs, that was in Texas for maintenance weeks prior to the crash.

Aircraft records showed the aircraft was on the runway in San Antonio, Texas from early September to 18 October.

“We are knowledgeable that this plane was there in San Antonio,” stated an NTSB member on later, without providing a exact time frame. “We will look at every piece of maintenance that was performed, even the San Antonio visit, all the way to the day of the trip.”

Retrieval of Critical Items

The audio device and flight data recorder were retrieved, and the engine was located on the runway.

The units – referred to as black boxes – were built to withstand accident forces and extreme temperatures from blazes, and they seemed to be undamaged when located within the wreckage. Officials plan on examining data from the devices.

Aircraft’s final data recordings showed an height of 475 ft and a velocity of that speed before the impact.

Maintenance Record

Per Federal Aviation Administration records from that date, a crack on a part within the tank area required repairs.

Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which said it supplies aircraft servicing for the carrier’s MD-11 and runs a repair facility in San Antonio, refused to speak, but stated it would cooperate fully when officials reached out it.

Operations Resume

At the same time, the facility operations continued that evening with its overnight also known as night sort procedure, spokesperson the company official confirmed. The three landing strips at Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport were also back in operation.

The UPS package handling facility in the city is the company’s most significant. The facility engages more than 20,000 workers in the region, manages 300 aircraft each day and organizes in excess of four hundred thousand packages an hour.

Community Response

A gathering was conducted on the night of 6 November by the area worker’s group, which supports workers at the aviation hub, the organization’s primary shipping facility.

Teamsters Local 89, which supports UPS workers, began the vigil with a moment of silence at 5.14pm, the estimated hour of the crash previously.

“This event was so sudden, so surprising,” the leader told the group of attendees. “No one had a opportunity to part to any of those who we have said farewell to.”