NEED TO KNOW
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A UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after it took off at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Nov. 4, killing 14 people
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The National Transportation Safety Board revealed new details about their investigation on Thursday, Nov. 20
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Investigators also released new images showing UPS Flight 2976 being engulfed by flames
Federal investigators have released new details, and dramatic frame-by-frame images, about the UPS plane crash in Kentucky that killed 14 earlier this month.
UPS Flight 2976’s taxi and takeoff roll on Nov. 4 at Kentucky’s Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport were initially “uneventful,” until the airplane began to rotate for takeoff, the National Transportation Safety Board wrote in its preliminary report.
Then, the airplane’s left engine and pylon separated from the wing “with a fire igniting on the left engine while it traversed above the fuselage and subsequently impacted the ground,” the NTSB wrote, noting that the entire ordeal was captured by airport surveillance video, which they included multiple frames of in the report.
“A fire ignited near the area of the left pylon attachment to the wing, which continued until ground impact,” they added.
Despite the fire, investigators said in their report that the plane did start climbing, but never made it higher than 30 feet above the ground.
“The airplane cleared the blast fence beyond the end of runway 17R, but the left main landing gear impacted the roof of a UPS Supply Chain Solutions warehouse at the southern edge of the airport,” the agency said. “The airplane then impacted a storage yard and two additional buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, and was mostly consumed by fire.”
Additionally, the agency has since determined that the 34-year-old plane had several “fatigue cracks” and “fractures.”
As their investigation continues, the NTSB said that they were able to recover cockpit voice recorders as well as the engine and pylon that fell of the plane’s wing.
Phil Speck/U.S. Air National Guard via AP
In this photo provided by U.S. Air National Guard, members of the Kentucky National Guard’s 41st Civil Support Team survey the site of a fatal airplane crash in Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
The crash killed all three crew members on the plane as well as 11 people on the ground. An additional 23 people on the ground were injured.
The NTSB said that the captain, who was the pilot monitoring the flight, had 8,614 total hours of flight experience, with nearly 5,000 hours logged in the same make and model as the aircraft that crashed. Meanwhile the first officer, who was flying, had about 9,200 hours of flight experience, with about 944 hours with the accident airplane make and model.
The victims were previously identified as Capt. Dana Diamond, 62; Capt. Richard Wartenberg, 57; First Officer Lee Truitt, 45; Angela Anderson, 45; Carlos Fernandez, 52; Trinadette “Trina” Chavez, 37; Tony Crain, 65; John Loucks, 52; John Spray, 45; Matthew Sweets, 37; Ella Petty Whorton, 31; Megan Washburn, 35; Louisnes Fedon, 47, as well as Fendon’s 3-year-old granddaughter Kimberly Asa.
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The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F is a freighter aircraft intended for cargo. UPS freighter planes usually depart from Muhammad Ali International Airport, as it is the shipper’s worldwide air hub. The hub has 12,000 UPS employees who process more than 2 million packages a day at a 5-million-square-foot facility.
Following the disaster, UPS released a statement on Nov. 4 that the shipping company was “terribly saddened by the accident.”
“Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved,” they continued. “UPS is committed to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. This is particularly true in Louisville, home to our airline and thousands of UPSers.”
“We are engaged with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the accident and are staying in close contact with the Federal Aviation Administration,” the company said. “We will work tirelessly with state and local authorities on response efforts.”
The NTSB said its investigation into the crash is ongoing. A final report is expected in 18 to 24 months.
Read the original article on People
