The number of fatalities due to the freight aircraft that caught fire and crashed has now climbed to 13, as confirmed by latest announcements.
City Leader's Statement
“On my way to the Union’s memorial service, I received word of a thirteenth victim that lost their life as a consequence of the UPS flight 2976 accident,” stated the city mayor in a public communication. “My heart is with the families, companions and colleagues of all who were taken in this week’s disaster. We will get through this together.”
Deceased Identified
A statement from the carrier listed the officers on board the aircraft as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, Co-pilot Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
“Our thoughts go out to each staff member who has been impacted and everyone in our Louisville area – helping you and making sure you get the support and assistance you need is our main concern,” the company’s statement expressed.
Probe Updates
National officials announced that the freight aircraft’s left wing ignited and an motor detached shortly after departure from the Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport, leading to the jet to fall and erupt into a blaze.
The NTSB has said it is examining the jet’s maintenance history, which was in the state for repairs a period prior to the incident.
Aircraft records revealed the aircraft was on the runway in San Antonio, Texas from 3 September to mid-October.
“We are knowledgeable that this jet was there in the facility,” remarked an official on later, without a exact date range. “We will examine every piece of repairs that was completed, from the Texas time, straight to the day of the journey.”
Retrieval of Key Components
The pilot’s recorder and flight data recorder were found, and the engine was discovered on the runway.
The devices – referred to as black boxes – were built to endure accident forces and intense fire from infernos, and they seemed to be in one piece when found among the crash debris. Officials intend to reviewing data from the black boxes.
The plane’s concluding recorded information showed an elevation of that level and a velocity of 210 miles per hour ahead of the impact.
Service History
Per FAA records dated that date, a crack on a component in the fuel container needed maintenance.
Singapore-based ST Engineering, which said it supplies aircraft servicing for the carrier’s MD-11 and runs a maintenance center in San Antonio, refused to comment, but expressed it would work closely when investigators approached it.
Services Restart
In the meantime, UPS Worldport operations restarted Wednesday night with its overnight or nighttime operation, representative Jim Mayer confirmed. The three landing strips at Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport were also open again.
The sorting center in the city is the company’s biggest. The center hires more than twenty thousand individuals in the locality, processes numerous flights per day and sorts more than 400,000 parcels each hour.
Community Support
A memorial was held on the late afternoon of that date by the area labor union, which represents employees at the airfield, the firm’s largest shipping facility.
Worker representatives, which represents employees, commenced the memorial with a moment of silence at that time, the rough moment of the accident before.
“This tragedy was so unexpected, so unforeseen,” the official addressed the group of two hundred. “No one had a moment to part to each of those who we have mourned.”
