The number of lives lost resulting from the transport jet which ignited and crashed has risen to 13, per official statements.
City Leader's Statement
While en route to the Workers’ memorial service, I learned of a additional fatality that died as a result of the UPS flight 2976 accident,” stated the city mayor in a public communication. “My heart is with the loved ones, friends and co-workers of all who were lost in this recently occurred tragedy. We will overcome this as one.”
Deceased Identified
A statement from the company identified the officers on board the jet as Captain Richard Wartenberg, Co-pilot Lee Truitt, and Relief Captain Dana Diamond.
“Our sympathies reach out to every employee who has been touched and all in our Louisville area – helping you and making sure you get the care and resources you need is our main concern,” the company’s statement expressed.
Investigation Details
Federal officials announced that the UPS cargo plane’s wing caught fire and an engine fell off just after takeoff from the airfield, causing the aircraft to plummet and erupt into a blaze.
The NTSB stated it is examining the plane’s service record, that was in the state for repairs weeks ahead of the crash.
Aviation information revealed the jet was on the runway in that location from 3 September to last week.
“We are cognizant that this plane was present in San Antonio,” stated an NTSB member on Thursday, without a exact time frame. “We will look at every piece of repairs that was performed, even the Texas visit, straight to the date of the journey.”
Findings of Vital Components
The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were recovered, and the engine was found on the airfield.
The devices – referred to as flight recorders – were constructed to survive accident forces and severe heat from fires, and they appeared to be intact when found within the crash debris. Officials plan on examining information from the devices.
Aircraft’s final data recordings displayed an altitude of 475 feet and a velocity of 210 miles per hour prior to the accident.
Maintenance History
Based on aviation authority documents dated 18 September, a fissure on a structural piece in the fuel container needed maintenance.
Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which indicated it provides structural repairs for UPS’s aircraft and manages a repair facility in San Antonio, refused to speak, but stated it would cooperate fully when relevant authorities approached it.
Activities Resume
In the meantime, UPS Worldport activities resumed last night with its overnight also known as night sort operation, representative a representative stated. Each of the three tarmacs at the aviation hub were likewise reopened.
The UPS package handling facility in the city is the firm’s most significant. The center engages more than twenty thousand individuals in the locality, manages numerous aircraft daily and organizes over 400,000 parcels per hour.
Community Reaction
A memorial was conducted on the night of that date by the area labor union, which supports employees at the airfield, the company’s primary shipping facility.
Teamsters Local 89, which supports UPS workers, commenced the memorial with a quiet tribute at 5.14pm, the rough moment of the accident previously.
“This event was so abrupt, so surprising,” the mayor told the assembly of attendees. “No one had a moment to say goodbye to any of those who we have mourned.”
