The total count of lives lost from the transport jet that ignited and crashed has reached 13, per recent statements.
Mayor's Statement
While en route to the Teamsters’ vigil, I was informed of a 13th person that died as a consequence of the UPS flight 2976 accident,” stated the municipal leader in a online message. “My prayers are with the loved ones, friends and peers of all who were taken in this recently occurred tragedy. We will get through this collectively.”
Deceased Confirmed
An announcement from the carrier identified the officers on board the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
“Our hearts reach out to every staff member who has been touched and all in our Louisville region – assisting you and making sure you obtain the care and aid you need is our priority,” the firm’s statement expressed.
Inquiry Findings
Federal officials announced that the freight aircraft’s wing burst into flames and an power plant separated soon after liftoff from the aviation hub, leading to the aircraft to plummet and erupt into a inferno.
The safety agency has said it is examining the plane’s service record, which was in the state for maintenance weeks before the incident.
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft was on the runway in that location from early September to mid-October.
“We are knowledgeable that this plane was there in the facility,” said an official on the following day, without providing a exact date range. “We will examine each aspect of repairs that was completed, from the repair time, right up to the time of the flight.”
Retrieval of Vital Evidence
The pilot’s recorder and flight data recorder were recovered, and the engine was found on the airfield.
The recorders – called data containers – were designed to survive accident forces and extreme temperatures from infernos, and they appeared to be in one piece when found within the wreckage. Investigators will analyzing data from the devices.
Jet’s final flight details displayed an elevation of that level and a rate of 210 mph ahead of the impact.
Repair Background
Per FAA records from that date, a fracture on a component inside the fuel container required fixes.
The company ST Engineering, which stated it provides structural repairs for UPS’s jet and runs a repair facility in that city, chose not to speak, but expressed it would assist completely when relevant authorities approached it.
Operations Resume
At the same time, UPS Worldport operations resumed that evening with its Next Day Air or night sort procedure, representative the company official confirmed. Each of the three runways at the aviation hub were also reopened.
The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the organization’s biggest. The hub employs more than twenty thousand people in the area, manages three hundred flights each day and organizes in excess of four hundred thousand packages each hour.
Local Reaction
A gathering was conducted on the late afternoon of that date by the local Teamsters Union, which supports employees at the aviation hub, the company’s largest freight center.
Worker representatives, which supports employees, commenced the memorial with a period of reflection at the evening hour, the rough hour of the crash two days earlier.
“This tragedy was so abrupt, so surprising,” the mayor spoke to the crowd of attendees. “No one had a chance to bid farewell to any of those who we have mourned.”
