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The tally of fatalities due to the transport jet which caught fire and went down has now reached 13, as confirmed by latest announcements.

Mayor's Remarks

“On my way to the Workers’ vigil, I received word of a 13th person that passed away as a result of the UPS flight 2976 incident,” wrote the city mayor in a social media post. “My thoughts is with the loved ones, friends and co-workers of all who were lost in this recently occurred disaster. We will get through this as one.”

Deceased Confirmed

A statement from UPS listed the officers aboard the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as Pilot Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Dana Diamond.

“Our sympathies go out to each UPSer who has been touched and all in our Louisville region – assisting you and making sure you obtain the care and assistance you need is our main concern,” the firm’s statement stated.

Investigation Findings

National investigators revealed that the UPS cargo plane’s left wing ignited and an motor separated soon after liftoff from the Louisville Muhammad Ali international airport, leading to the plane to crash and burst into a inferno.

The safety agency announced it is probing the plane’s service record, that was in the state for maintenance several weeks ahead of the crash.

Aircraft data showed the jet was on the ground in the Texas city from 3 September to mid-October.

“We are knowledgeable that this aircraft was located in San Antonio,” said an NTSB member on Thursday, without providing a specific date range. “We will look at each aspect of repairs that was performed, including the Texas time, straight to the day of the journey.”

Retrieval of Vital Components

The cockpit voice recorder and information unit were found, and the motor was discovered on the runway.

The recorders – called black boxes – were built to survive collision damage and extreme heat from blazes, and they looked to be undamaged when located amid the wreckage. Officials intend to reviewing recordings from the black boxes.

Jet’s final flight details showed an altitude of 475 feet and a speed of that speed ahead of the impact.

Repair Background

Per aviation authority records dated 18 September, a fracture on a part in the center wing fuel tank demanded maintenance.

Headquartered in Singapore ST Engineering, which said it supplies structural repairs for the company’s MD-11 and manages a maintenance center in that city, declined to speak, but stated it would work closely when investigators reached out it.

Services Resume

In the meantime, the hub operations restarted Wednesday night with its express or nighttime operation, spokesperson a representative said. All three landing strips at the airport were likewise back in operation.

The distribution hub in Louisville is the company’s largest. The center hires over twenty thousand individuals in the locality, handles numerous flights per day and sorts more than 400,000 items each hour.

Local Reaction

A gathering was organized on the late afternoon of that date by the area labor union, which represents workers at the Louisville airport, the firm’s largest shipping facility.

Worker representatives, which represents staff, began the memorial with a moment of silence at 5.14pm, the approximate hour of the crash before.

“This tragedy was so abrupt, so unforeseen,” the mayor spoke to the group of 200. “No one had a opportunity to say goodbye to any one of those who we have said farewell to.”