🔗 Share this article

The tally of victims due to the freight aircraft which caught fire and plummeted has now reached 13, as confirmed by latest reports.

Mayor's Statement

“On my way to the Teamsters’ vigil, I learned of a additional fatality that lost their life as a result of the aircraft crash,” stated the city mayor in a online message. “My heart is with the families, friends and peers of all who were killed in this recent tragedy. We will endure this collectively.”

Casualties Identified

An announcement from the company listed the officers on board the aircraft as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.

“Our hearts are extended to each staff member who has been impacted and everyone in our local area – supporting you and ensuring you obtain the care and assistance you need is our main concern,” the company’s statement read.

Investigation Findings

Federal investigators announced that the UPS cargo plane’s wing caught fire and an engine separated just after liftoff from the airfield, resulting in the plane to crash and explode into a fireball.

The NTSB has said it is investigating the jet’s service record, which was in the state for repairs several weeks before the crash.

Flight tracking records showed the aircraft was on the tarmac in that location from 3 September to last week.

“We are knowledgeable that this plane was there in the facility,” said an investigator on later, without a specific time frame. “We will review each aspect of maintenance that was performed, even the San Antonio time, right up to the day of the trip.”

Recovery of Key Evidence

The audio device and information unit were found, and the motor was discovered on the airfield.

The units – referred to as black boxes – were designed to withstand accident forces and extreme temperatures from blazes, and they looked to be in one piece when found amid the remains. Investigators intend to analyzing information from the recorders.

Aircraft’s last data recordings displayed an altitude of that level and a rate of 210 mph before the accident.

Maintenance Record

Per aviation authority documents dated that date, a fracture on a structural piece inside the fuel container demanded maintenance.

The company ST Engineering, which said it provides structural repairs for UPS’s MD-11 and operates a repair facility in Texas, refused to speak, but stated it would assist completely when investigators reached out it.

Services Continue

In the meantime, the hub operations restarted Wednesday night with its overnight also known as night sort procedure, spokesperson a representative confirmed. Each of the three runways at Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport were also open again.

The distribution hub in the city is the organization’s largest. The facility hires more than twenty thousand workers in the area, processes 300 flights each day and sorts over 400,000 parcels an hour.

Community Support

A gathering was conducted on the late afternoon of recently by the local worker’s group, which represents staff at the Louisville airport, the company’s primary air cargo hub.

The union chapter, which stands for UPS workers, began the vigil with a moment of silence at 5.14pm, the rough moment of the accident two days earlier.

“This tragedy was so sudden, so unforeseen,” the official told the group of attendees. “No one had a moment to part to any of those who we have mourned.”