Death Toll From UPS Plane Crash Climbs to 13
Louisville Airport Fully Open After Closing Runways
Key Takeaways:
- Three crew members are believed to be among the casualties.
- The Louisville airport is completely open after a third runway was returned to operations.
- Federal investigators are looking into the cause of the crash.
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The number of casualties from the crash of a UPS Inc. cargo plane rose to 13, as investigators head into the fourth day of a probe into what caused the incident near the company’s global hub in Kentucky.
“On my way to the Teamsters’ vigil, I learned of a 13th person that died as a result of the UPS flight 2976 plane crash,” Louisville MayorCraig Greenbergwrote in apost on Xthe night of Nov. 6, referring to a local service being held in honor of the victims. Officials had previously said that 12 people had died.
Three crew members aboard the aircraft are believed to be among the casualties, Greenberg said separately in apress conferencethat morning. Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond were operating the flight, UPS said in a separate statement.
Nine people presumed to be in the area at the time of the crash are still unaccounted for, Greenberg said. Local officials are working on confirming the victims’ identities, he said.
On Nov. 6, about 48 hours after the crash, the Louisville airport returned to being fully operational, after closing runways following the incident.
A statement from Nando Cesarone, UPS Executive Vice President, U.S. & UPS Airlines — UPS (@UPS)
Meanwhile, federal investigators are looking into what caused the crash. Agents have successfully extracted data from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, National Transportation Safety Board officialTodd Inmansaid in a briefing Nov. 6. The data from the recorders, commonly called “black boxes,” will allow investigators to piece together what happened in the final minutes as the doomed jet took off Nov. 4, bound for Honolulu.
“We consider this a good extraction with good data points, which means that we will have even more information to help paint a comprehensive picture,” Inman said.
The fuel-laden McDonnell Douglas MD-11, which lost its left engine during takeoff, climbed high enough to clear a fence at the end of the runway at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, but then plunged into terrain and buildings outside of the facility’s perimeter. Preliminary flight data shows that the UPS plane was last recorded at an altitude of 475 feet and traveling at a speed of 183 knots, Inman said.
Airfield Update: Runway 17R/35L (West Runway) reopened this afternoon, meaning all three runways at SDF are available and the airfield is fully operational following the aircraft incident on Tuesday, November 4.
The SDF team continues to keep the victims, their families and our… — FlyLouisville (SDF) (@FlyLouisville)
The NTSB has recovered parts of the left-side engine from the runway, including fan blades, Inman said.
The agency said the aircraft was in San Antonio for a period of several weeks prior to the crash. Flight records show the jet flew from Louisville to San Antonio on Sept. 3, and didn’t return until Oct. 18. VT San Antonio Aerospace was contracted to conduct the so-called heavy maintenance on the aircraft, according to data from Cirium.
Safety investigators are pulling records from that visit and also looking at any prior maintenance or inspections as part of the probe. The NTSB said it currently doesn’t know of any maintenance issues on the plane immediately before Tuesday’s crash.
Travel Disruptions
The fatal accident comes at a time of widespreadair travel disruptionsacross America caused by air traffic controller shortages since the U.S. government shutdown began Oct. 1.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Nov. 5 that U.S. air capacity will be cut by 10% at 40 high-volume locations to alleviate strain on the aviation system. The reductions are expected to be phased in, starting with 4% on Nov. 7, according to people familiar with the plans.
. has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety.
This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue working without pay.
It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because… — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy)
The crash adds to a deadly year for global aviation. Just three weeks ago, a cargo plane skidded off the runway andinto the seaat Hong Kong International Airport, killing two ground crew. In June, 241 people died on an Air India flight thatcrashedjust after takeoff, and in January a U.S. Army helicoptercollidedwith an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington.
UPS on the night of Nov. 5 resumed package-sorting operations at the Louisville hub — its largest facility known as Worldport — after halting the work right after the crash.
“Our goal is to begin returning the network to a normal cadence,” a UPS spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that flights leaving Louisville arrived at their destinations the morning of Nov. 6.
UPS has said it doesn’t believe the event will materially impact the company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flow.
Boeing Co., which took over McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said it is offering technical assistance to the NTSB.
The aircraft involved in the accident was originally built for Thai Airways International in the early 1990s before being converted into a freighter about 20 years ago for UPS. The plane was powered by three General Electric Co. CF6 engines.
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The DC-11 model is now only flown by cargo operators, having conducted its last passenger flight more than a decade ago.
Other accidents involving UPS operations include UPS Flight 6 in September 2010, when a Boeing 747-400F crashed near Dubai after it experienced an in-flight cargo fire, killing both crew members.
In August 2013, an Airbus SE A300-600F crashed short of the runway in Birmingham, Ala., killing the captain and first officer.Authorities citedfatigue, pilot error and subsequent aircraft instability as probable causes for that crash.
UPS ranks No. 1on theTransport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriersin North America andNo. 5on the TT Top 100 logistics companies list. It also ranks No. 4 on theTT Top 50 global freight companies list.
Written byCailley LaPara, Allyson Versprille and Siddharth Philip
