🔗 Share this article Devastating Update on Cargo Plane Accident: Fatalities Increases to 13 The total count of fatalities due to the freight aircraft which caught fire and crashed has now reached 13, as confirmed by official announcements. Official's Statement Traveling to the Union’s candlelight gathering, I learned of a thirteenth victim that died as a result of the aircraft crash,” stated the city mayor in a social media post. “My thoughts is with the loved ones, associates and peers of all who were taken in this recent tragedy. We will endure this together.” Casualties Named A statement from the company named the flight crew operating the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond. “Our hearts reach out to each UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community – helping you and ensuring you get the care and assistance you need is our main concern,” the firm’s statement read. Investigation Findings National investigators announced that the freight aircraft’s wing caught fire and an engine separated shortly after liftoff from the airfield, causing the jet to crash and erupt into a blaze. The safety agency announced it is examining the jet’s service record, which was in Texas for repairs several weeks prior to the accident. Aircraft data showed the plane was on the ground in the Texas city from the start of last month to mid-October. “We are knowledgeable that this aircraft was there in the facility,” stated an official on the following day, without providing a exact period. “We will look at each aspect of service that was done, even the Texas period, straight to the day of the flight.” Findings of Key Components The audio device and data recorder were found, and the power plant was located on the airfield. The units – referred to as black boxes – were constructed to endure accident forces and severe fire from infernos, and they looked to be intact when located within the wreckage. Officials plan on reviewing data from the recorders. The plane’s concluding data recordings displayed an elevation of 475 feet and a velocity of 210 mph before the accident. Repair History According to aviation authority files dated 18 September, a crack on a structural piece within the tank area demanded repairs. Singapore-based ST Engineering, which stated it provides structural repairs for the company’s jet and runs a service location in San Antonio, chose not to comment, but said it would cooperate fully when relevant authorities approached it. Activities Continue Meanwhile, UPS Worldport activities continued that evening with its express or evening procedure, official Jim Mayer stated. Each of the three runways at the aviation hub were likewise reopened. The sorting center in Louisville is the organization’s largest. The facility hires in excess of twenty thousand workers in the area, processes numerous aircraft per day and processes more than a huge volume of parcels an hour. Local Support A gathering was organized on the evening of that date by the local labor union, which represents employees at the aviation hub, the firm’s largest freight center. Worker representatives, which stands for employees, commenced the memorial with a period of reflection at 5.14pm, the rough moment of the accident two days earlier. “This tragedy was so unexpected, so surprising,” the mayor spoke to the crowd of attendees. “No one had a chance to say goodbye to any one of those who we have lost.”