Death toll in Louisville UPS plane crash rises to 13

The death toll in the explosion that saw a UPS cargo plane lose an engine and burst into flames has risen to 13.

On Thursday, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg announced that another person had passed away at UofL Hospital, increasing the death toll to 13. Greenberg also confirmed that nine people are still unaccounted for.

Officials could not say for certain if all bodies had been recovered from the scene.

UPS listed the pilots aboard the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond.

The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were recovered, and investigators plan on immediately begin reviewing data from the black boxes.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Todd Inman said the plane’s final data recordings showed an altitude of 475 feet and a speed of 210 mph before the crash just beyond airport property.

The National Transportation Safety Board has begun investigating the plane’s maintenance history, which was in Texas for repairs weeks before the crash.

Records show that the plane was reportedly on the ground in San Antonio, Texas, from September 3 to October 18.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records dated September 18, a crack on a structural piece inside the center wing fuel tank required repairs.

“We will look at every piece of maintenance that was done, even from the San Antonio time, all the way to the date of the flight,” said Inman. 

Meanwhile, UPS Worldport operations resumed Wednesday night.

A candlelight vigil was held on Thursday evening by the local Teamsters Union, which represents workers at the Louisville airport, the company’s largest air cargo hub that employs 20,000 people.



Members of the Kentucky National Guard survey the site of the crash. (Phil Speck/AP)