The number of fatalities due to the UPS cargo plane that ignited and went down has climbed to 13, as confirmed by recent announcements.
Mayor's Statement
While en route to the Teamsters’ memorial service, I learned of a additional fatality that passed away as a result of the UPS flight 2976 incident,” wrote the city mayor in a social media post. “My thoughts is with the families, friends and peers of all who were killed in this recent tragedy. We will overcome this together.”
Deceased Identified
A release from UPS listed the pilots on board the jet as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.
“Our thoughts reach out to each staff member who has been impacted and all in our community region – helping you and guaranteeing you receive the support and assistance you need is our focus,” the organization’s message read.
Probe Updates
National authorities announced that the UPS cargo plane’s port side wing caught fire and an power plant separated shortly after liftoff from the airfield, leading to the plane to fall and explode into a blaze.
The National Transportation Safety Board stated it is investigating the jet’s upkeep logs, which was in the state for maintenance several weeks prior to the accident.
Aviation data revealed the aircraft was on the ground in that location from early September to mid-October.
“We are cognizant that this plane was there in the facility,” stated an official on the following day, not giving a specific period. “We will examine every piece of repairs that was done, from the San Antonio period, right up to the day of the flight.”
Retrieval of Key Components
The audio device and data recorder were recovered, and the engine was discovered on the runway.
The recorders – called flight recorders – were designed to survive collision damage and severe heat from fires, and they seemed to be intact when found among the wreckage. Officials plan on analyzing information from the black boxes.
The plane’s last recorded information displayed an height of 475 feet and a rate of 210 mph before the accident.
Maintenance Background
Per FAA files from 18 September, a crack on a part within the fuel container demanded repairs.
Singapore-based ST Engineering, which indicated it offers airframe maintenance for the carrier’s jet and manages a service location in Texas, chose not to speak, but stated it would cooperate fully when officials approached it.
Operations Continue
Meanwhile, UPS Worldport services resumed Wednesday night with its Next Day Air or night sort procedure, spokesperson Jim Mayer stated. The three runways at the airport were also open again.
The sorting center in Louisville is the organization’s largest. The facility hires more than a large number of workers in the area, handles three hundred aircraft daily and sorts in excess of 400,000 parcels each hour.
Local Response
A memorial was conducted on the night of that date by the area Teamsters Union, which acts for staff at the airfield, the organization’s primary air cargo hub.
Worker representatives, which supports UPS workers, began the memorial with a period of reflection at the evening hour, the estimated moment of the crash previously.
“This tragedy was so abrupt, so unexpected,” the leader spoke to the crowd of 200. “No one had a opportunity to bid farewell to each of those who we have lost.”
