Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
The left wing of a UPS cargo plane caught fire and an engine collapsed shortly before it crashed and exploded A federal official on Wednesday offered the first investigative details about the disaster that killed at least 12 people, including a child, after the plane took off in Kentucky.
Meanwhile, a day after the crash at the company’s UPS Worldport, first responders searched for more victims Global Aviation Center in LouisvilleHowever, Governor Andy Beshear said it appeared impossible to find survivors. The fire consumed the massive aircraft and spread to nearby businesses.
After being cleared for takeoff, a large fire broke out in the left wing, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board who is leading the investigation.
Inman told reporters that the plane had gained enough altitude to clear the fence at the end of the runway before crashing just outside Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Airport security video “shows the left engine separating from the wing during the takeoff roll,” he said.
The cockpit voice recorder and data recorder were recovered and the engine was discovered at the airfield, Inman said.
“There are many different parts of this airplane in different places,” he said, describing the debris field that stretched for half a mile.
a chain reaction
The plane carrying three people crashed at about 5:15 pm on Tuesday when it was taking off from Honolulu. UPS Worldport At Louisville Airport.
The accident had a devastating impact, causing small explosions at Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and hitting an auto salvage yard, Grade A Auto Parts. The boy who died ran a parts business with his parents, Beshear said.
Beshear previously said it was “a blessing” the plane did not hit the nearby Ford Motor factory or convention center.
U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., praised the firefighters who were first to arrive at the disaster site, describing it as “hotter than hell with oil pouring down.”
Some people who heard the explosion, saw smoke and smelled burning fuel were still stunned a day later.
“I didn’t know if we were under attack. I didn’t know what was happening,” said Summer Dickerson, who works nearby.
The number of victims is unclear
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced on social platform X on Wednesday evening that the death toll had risen to 12, saying, “Please take a moment to hug your loved ones and check in on your neighbors.”
The governor predicted the death toll would rise, saying officials were searching for “a handful of other people” but “we do not expect to find anyone else alive.”
Mark Little, chief of the Okolona Fire District in Louisville, said clearing and searching the debris “is going to take us a long time.”
The University of Louisville Hospital said two people were in critical condition in the burn unit. Eighteen people were treated at that hospital or other health care centers and released.
The airport is 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Downtown Louisville, close to the Indiana state line, residential areas, a water park, and museums. The airport resumed operations on Wednesday, with at least one runway remaining open.
Beshear said he did not know the condition of the three UPS crew members aboard the 1991 McDonnell Douglas MD-11. It is not clear whether they are being counted among the dead or not.
‘We all know someone who works at UPS’
UPS said it was “deeply saddened.” The Louisville package handling facility is the company’s largest. It employs more than 20,000 people in the hub area, handles 300 flights a day and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
“We all know someone who works at UPS,” says Louisville Metro Council member. Betsy Ruhe Said.
The governor said the team is accepting donations from the Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund, typically used to help people in natural disasters, to help with funeral expenses and other hardships.
“In Kentucky, we grieve together and support each other,” Beshear said.
desperate to find loved ones
Eric Richardson stood outside a police training academy where people waited for news of their missing loved ones Tuesday night. He said his girlfriend, who was at a metal recycling business near the explosion, was not answering her phone. Live location on her phone showed she was still there.
“We don’t even want to think about anything other than the best,” said Bobby Whalen, a friend. “All our friends were there.”
Stooges Bar and Grill bartender Kayla Kenady said she was carrying a beer to a customer on the patio when suddenly lights started flashing.
“I saw a plane in the sky come down over our volleyball court bursting into flames,” he said. “At that moment, I panicked. I turned around, ran screaming from the bar and told everyone that a plane was crashing.”
Manager Lynn Casson said that explosions just 100 yards (90 m) away shook the building three times – “like someone was bombing us” – but no one there was injured.
“God was definitely with us,” Cason said.
What happened to the plane?
Flight records show the aircraft was on the ground in San Antonio from September 3 to October 18.
Former federal accident investigator Jeff Guzzetti said several things could have caused the fire that caused the UPS plane to roll off the runway.
“It could partially shut down the engine and rupture the fuel lines. Or it could ignite due to a fuel leak and then burn the engine. It’s too early to tell,” Guzzetti said.
He said the crash was very similar to the 1979 crash when the left engine of an American Airlines jet failed as it took off from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, killing 273 people.
Guzzetti said this UPS plane and the American plane were equipped with the same General Electric engines. The 1979 accident involved a DC-10, but the MD-11 UPS aircraft is based on the DC-10.