Louisville, UPS plane
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At least 13 people were killed and several others injured after a UPS plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Louisville International Airport on Tuesday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Videos from phones, cars and security cameras captured the tragic final moments of a UPS cargo plane as it caught fire and crashed in a massive explosion just outside Louisville’s airport, killing at least 12 people and carving a path of destruction on the ground.
The death toll from the deadliest plane crash in UPS history has reached 13, including three pilots, while nine others remain missing and unaccounted for. During a vigil held the evening of Nov. 6 by a local Teamsters union, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that the latest victim had passed away from their injuries at UofL Hospital.
The deceased are believed to include the three people aboard the plane, who were identified Thursday by UPS as Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond.
The grim task of finding and identifying victims from the firestorm that followed a UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, entered a third day Thursday as investigators gathered information to determine why the aircraft caught fire and lost an engine on takeoff.
UPS said in a statement that it’s activating contingency plans to move shipments “as quickly as conditions permit,” though it did not release details. Supply chain experts say they believe the
The United Parcel Service cargo plane that crashed Tuesday was 34 years old and needed a critical repair on its fuel tank in September.The MD-11 plane was grounded in San Antonio from Sept. 3 through at least Oct.
Airlines stopped flying MD-11s mainly because the aircraft initially failed to meet its promised performance, particularly in range and fuel efficiency, which led to many airlines canceling orders or replacing them with more efficient planes such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330, according to the Infinite Flight blog.