Louisville plane crash response in ‘recovery mode,’ UPS operations disrupted

UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday fully loaded with fuel after taking off from Louisville bound for Honolulu, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane, manufactured in 1991, had three crew members on board when a large plume of fire came from the left wing area as the plane rolled down the runway for takeoff, according to National Transportation Safety Board Member Todd Inman who spoke Wednesday afternoon on the agency’s investigation into the crash.

Airport security camera footage shows the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll, he said.

The aircraft hit buildings and the ground outside the airport property. A fire erupted, stretching for almost half a mile, he said.

Fifteen people have been treated for injuries at UofL Health hospitals and medical centers, according to the Louisville-based health care system. Two remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit as of Wednesday afternoon, while 13 were discharged.

The crash caused severe disruptions to UPS’ operations at its main air hub in Louisville, causing it to cancel multiple operations on Tuesday evening and Wednesday, telling those employees not to report to work.

That, in turn, is likely to disrupt UPS shipments around the country.

The airport has three runways. It has only reopened one since the crash, as the NTSB’s investigation continues.

Inman said that four months ago he met with safety staff at the Louisville airport along with the president of UPS Airlines and its safety staff.

During his previous visit with UPS, he said he was struck that “not only is this a company that moves freight, they are delivering lifesaving drugs, postal products, food, supplements, you name it, that come through this hub every night,” Inman said.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“And so we’ve been emphasizing the need to make sure we’re getting every piece of perishable evidence and doing it the most diligent way, but at the same time understanding that this investigation could slow down a lot of important products, not just for this company, but for Americans across the country and across the world,” he said.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB sent a “go team” to Louisville on Wednesday, with about 28 people on the ground for the investigation.

“We are hopeful that we can turn over at least one of the runways shortly, and as soon as possible the other runway, while still preserving all the evidence,” Inman said.

Remnants from the crash are also in yards and business locations around the area in the half-mile long debris field, according to Inman.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

When asked during a news conference about the condition of the plane’s fuselage, Chief Mark Little of the Okolona Fire Protection District in Jefferson County, Kentucky, indicated much of it had burned up in the fire.

U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., who visited the crash site with Beshear and Greenberg on Thursday afternoon, said afterward that he saw “burned and mangled wreckage beyond anything I’d ever seen.”

“These are things that are not going to escape us when we close our eyes tonight,” he said.

The plane was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, a wide-body cargo jet with more than 250,000 pounds of jet fuel on board, according to Louisville Fire Department Chief Brian O’Neill.

McGarvey said when the plane crashed, “that fuel spread everywhere. I had someone tell me it looked like it was raining oil in Louisville.”

On Wednesday, investigators recovered the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, commonly known as the “black box.” The recorders are built to withstand heat from fires, Inman said, and data from them will “really help us understand what happened.”

Inman said he expects investigators will stay for at least a week.

“Our mission again is to understand not only what happened, but why it happened, and recommend changes to prevent it from happening again,” Inman said.

The investigation will look at the plane’s history, the crews’ duties in the preceding days, the plane’s course and altitude before the crash, the engines, the plane’s systems, maintenance records and other factors. The FBI is also assisting the NTSB investigation.

Sandy Springs-based UPS in a statement Tuesday said it was “terribly saddened” by the accident. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with everyone involved.”

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Late Wednesday morning, Beshear declared a state of emergency in Kentucky in response to the plane crash.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order Tuesday evening, with the area under the order narrowed to a quarter-mile radius by Wednesday.

UPS operations challenged

Louisville’s airport suspended flights Tuesday evening and UPS halted its overnight operations there and canceled its “Next Day Air” parcel sort. On Wednesday, UPS said it would also cancel its “Second Day Air” sort for the day at its Louisville hub, saying employees on the Second Day Air sort should not report to work.

With just one runway open, airport officials said there were some flight delays and cancellations Wednesday. About 16 Louisville flights were canceled by midday Wednesday.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

UPS posted a service alert on its website saying scheduled delivery times for air and international packages might be affected by the plane crash.

“Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as conditions permit,” UPS posted.

Louisville’s mayor announced Tuesday evening the city lit a prominent pedestrian bridge near its downtown in yellow to honor the flight.

Beshear announced Wednesday the establishment of a Team Kentucky Emergency Relief Fund, with donations going to help pay for funerals, response, recovery and rebuilding.

“This is a UPS town,” Louisville City Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe said Tuesday.

UPS’ Worldport global package handling facility in Louisville has about 20,000 employees and 300 daily flights. The operation sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

Worldport is also home to the company’s cargo airline, which has about 3,300 pilots and operates more than 500 aircraft.

“Everybody here knows everybody. We’re the biggest small city in America,” McGarvey said. “And if you don’t know someone impacted by this, you know someone who does.”