The number of lives lost from the freight aircraft which burst into flames and plummeted has risen to 13, per latest announcements.
Official's Remarks
While en route to the Workers’ vigil, I was informed of a additional fatality that lost their life as a consequence of the UPS flight 2976 incident,” expressed the municipal leader in a public communication. “My thoughts are with the loved ones, companions and co-workers of all who were lost in this week’s calamity. We will overcome this together.”
Casualties Identified
A release from the company listed the flight crew aboard the aircraft as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.
“Our sympathies reach out to every staff member who has been touched and all in our local region – helping you and ensuring you obtain the support and assistance you need is our priority,” the firm’s statement expressed.
Inquiry Details
Government investigators announced that the UPS cargo plane’s port side wing caught fire and an power plant fell off soon after liftoff from the airfield, causing the plane to plummet and explode into a blaze.
The NTSB announced it is probing the jet’s service record, which was in Texas for fixes several weeks ahead of the accident.
Flight tracking data revealed the jet was on the tarmac in the Texas city from the start of last month to last week.
“We are aware that this plane was there in San Antonio,” remarked an NTSB member on the following day, without providing a specific time frame. “We will examine each aspect of maintenance that was completed, from the Texas period, straight to the time of the trip.”
Findings of Critical Evidence
The cockpit voice recorder and information unit were found, and the engine was found on the airfield.
The recorders – known as black boxes – were built to withstand collision damage and intense heat from blazes, and they appeared to be undamaged when discovered within the remains. Investigators will reviewing data from the devices.
Jet’s last flight details showed an altitude of 475 ft and a speed of that speed before the accident.
Maintenance History
Based on FAA documents from last month, a crack on a part in the center wing fuel tank needed maintenance.
Singapore-based ST Engineering, which said it supplies aircraft servicing for the carrier’s MD-11 and manages a maintenance center in Texas, declined to comment, but stated it would work closely when relevant authorities contacted it.
Services Continue
In the meantime, UPS Worldport operations restarted last night with its express also known as evening operation, official Jim Mayer said. All three tarmacs at the airport were likewise open again.
The UPS package handling facility in the city is the firm’s largest. The facility employs more than 20,000 workers in the area, processes numerous flights daily and organizes more than four hundred thousand parcels per hour.
Local Support
A memorial was held on the night of that date by the regional worker’s group, which represents employees at the airfield, the organization’s primary shipping facility.
Teamsters Local 89, which stands for UPS workers, began the memorial with a moment of silence at that time, the rough time of the accident previously.
“This tragedy was so sudden, so unforeseen,” the official told the crowd of two hundred. “No one had a opportunity to bid farewell to each of those who we have lost.”
